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Statue of General Herkimer 
Photograph by A. P. Zintsmaster 






The 
Historic Mohawk 



By 

Mary Riggs Diefendorf 



' I 



With 24 Illustrations 



G. P. Putnam's Sons 

New York and London 

^be Itntcfterbocbec ipcesd 

1910 






Copyright, igio 

BY 

MARY RIGGS DIEFENDORF 



Ube Itniclietboclter press, "new lotfc 



©CLA275737* 



Dedicated 

TO THE MEMORY OF OUR 
FOREFATHERS 



PREFACE 

THE aim of this little work is to treat the life 
story of our native Valle}' in a series of 
general essays depicting the peoples, the settle- 
ments, the customs, and the struggles of its early 
days. As little reference as possible is made to 
indi\'idual biography. The names of our ances- 
tors have not been relegated to the obscurity of 
ancient family Bibles; nor their deeds left to be 
cherished by tradition alone. Our local histories 
have preserved them and accorded them place 
in settlement and in conflict, in church and in 
state. These same excellent works have likewise 
preser\'ed the life details of our citizens dowTi to 
the present day. Upon these grounds we would 
not encroach. The Historic Mohawk will not 
deal \^ith statistics. It would depict the "storied 
past" with the broad strokes of the painter rather 
than the finer delineation of the etcher. With 
the dsLvm of the nineteenth century- the story 
ends. 

The ^Titer cannot but feel a s}Tnpathetic 
interest in the peoples from whom, in every line, 
she draws descent, the Hollander and the Palatine 
of early days and the New Englander who found 



vi Preface 

a home in the Valley at the close of the Revolu- 
tionary War. She would especially acknowledge 
the courtesy of the State Librarian, the State 
Comptroller, the Oneida Historical Society, and of 
individual friends for the use of a number of 
hitherto unpublished manuscripts which are in- 
corporated in the text. 

M. R. D. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Iroquois ..... i 

II. The Early Dutch and their Settle- 
ments ...... 26 

III. The Palatines . . . -57 

IV. In the Days of Sir William — Out-of- 

Door Life ..... 68 

V. In the Days of Sir William — Church 

and State ..... loi 



VI. In the Days of Sir William — Home, 
School, and Society 

VII. Rifle and Tomahawk 

VIII. Rifle and Tomahawk — Continued 

IX. The Pipe of Peace . 

X. New England Pioneers . 

vii 



124 

183 
230 

252 



viii Contents 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XI. Turnpike and Tavern . . . 274 

XII. River and Canal .... 306 

Index 323 



ILLUSTRATIONS 








PAGE 


Statue of General Herkimer 


Frontispiece 


u 


Photograph by A. P. Zintsmaster. 






The Oneida Stone 


• • 


12 


Photograph by A. J. Manning. 







The Site of Queen's Fort, Schenectady . 40 

Photograph by A. J. White. 

The Glen-Sanders House ... 50 

Photograph by J. J. Wing, 

The Mabie House, 1689 .... 54 

Photograph by J. J. Wing. 

The Klock House at St. Johnsville, 1750 . 60 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 

East Canada Creek ..... 64 

Photograph by Penny. 

Statue of Sir William Johnson . . 76 

Photograph by Eaton. 

The Palatine Church, 1770 . . . 108 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 

iz 



/•" 



X Illustrations 






PAGE 


The Frey House, 1739 


. 130 


Photograph by S. Dygert. 




The Ehle House, 1752 


. 138 


Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 




Johnson Hall, 1763 .... 


. ISO-- 



Photograph by Everett J. Hall. 

Monument of Oriskany . . . 174 

Photograph by A. P. Zintsmaster, 

The Residence of General Herkimer . 182 

Photograph by M. J. Bucklin. 

General Herkimer Monument . . .212 

Photograph by M. J. Bucklin. 

The Fort Plain Memorial Boulder . . 214 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 

The Johnstown Battle Monument, Erected 
BY Johnstown Chapter D. A. R., August 
31, 1901 ...... 230 

Photograph by Eaton. 

The Old Church at Stone Arabia . . 236 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 

The Isaac Paris House .... 246 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 



Illustrations xi 

PAGE 

The Gros Homestead, Built by Rev. Johann 
Daniel Gros, shortly after the 
Revolutionary War . . . 250 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 

"To Commemorate the Founding of Whites- 
town" 252 

Photograph by A. E. Aldridge. 

An Old Toll-Gate ..... 286 ^ 

Photograph by Lynn Reury. 

The Mohawk River near St. Johnsville . 306 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 

The Mohawk River at "The Nose" . . 320 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox. 



PRINCIPAL AUTHORITIES CONSULTED 

History of New York State — John Romeyn Brodhead. 

American Antiquities — Alexander Warfield Bradford. 

Notes on the Iroquois — Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. 

The Iroquois Trail — William Martin Beauchamp. 

League of the Iroquois — Lewis Henry Morgan. 

History of the Five Nations — Cadwallader Colden. 

People of the Long House — Edward Marion Chadwick. 

Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha — Ellen Hardin Walworth. 

Brave Little Holland— William Elliot Griffis. 

Sir William Johnson and the Six Nations — William Elliot Griffis. 

Narrative of Schenectady — Daniel J. Toll. 

History of Cohoes — Arthur Hainesworth Masten. 

Troy's One Hundred Years — Arthur James Weise. 

Story of the Palatines — Sanford H. Cobb. 

Sir William Johnson — Augustus C. Buell. 

Life and Times of Sir William Johnson — William Leete Stone. 

Life of Joseph Brant — William Leete Stone. 

Frontiersmen of New York — Jeptha R. Simms. 

The Old New York Frontier — Francis Whiting Halsey. 

Northern New York — Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester. 

Old Schenectady — George S. Roberts. 

The Story of Old Fort Johnson— W. Max Reid. 

The Mohawk Valley— W. Max Reid. 

Documentary History of New York. 

Colonial Days in Old New York — Alice Morse Earle. 

Autobiography of Thurlow Weed — Edited by his daughter, 

Harriet A. Weed. 
Memoirs of an American Lady — Anne McVickar Grant. 
Minutes of Tryon County, N. Y., Committee of Safety, 

published by the Montgomery County Historical Society, 

xiii 



xiv Principal Authorities Consulted 

Public Papers of Governor George Clinton — from appendix to 
third annual report of the late State Historian, Hugh 
Hastings. 

The various histories of the counties of Albany, old Tryon, 
Schenectady, Fulton, Montgomery, Herkimer, and Oneida. 

Publications of the Oneida Historical Society. 

Publications of the Herkimer County Historical Society. 



The Historic Mohawk 



THE HISTORIC MOHAWK 



CHAPTER I 

THE IROQUOIS 

"Ye say that all have passed away, 
The noble race and brave, 
That their light canoes have vanished 

From off the crested wave; 
That 'mid the forests where they roamed 

There rings no hunter's shout, 
But their name is on your waters. 
Ye may not wash it out. " 

Lydia H. Sigourney. 

THE copper-colored natives who peopled the 
Mohawk Valley when first our forefathers 
cast their longing eyes upon their future home were 
but a portion of the horde which overspread the 
continent. There are those who tell us that the 
"Indian" race was old when the Egyptian race 
was young. Philologists affirm that the aborigi- 
nal language carries in its structure the sign- 
manual of antiquity. We know that, centuries 
before Columbus, the Norsemen visited the land 



2 The Historic Mohawk 

now called America, and that a Welsh colony 
still leaves its imprint upon our central plains; 
while there is at least possibility of the existence 
on the continent of a Phoenician colony. It is 
known that in days gone by Chinese explorers 
visited our shores and Chinese junks were washed 
upon our western strand. 

The proximity of our northwestern borders to 
Asia; the similarity in flora and fauna in corre- 
sponding portions of the two continents; the 
studies of antiquarians with regard to the numer- 
ous Pacific islands, which might have served as 
stepping-stones from shore to shore; the solid ice 
once covering the northern hemisphere, which also 
might have afforded means of passage past mighty 
con\iilsions of nature, and the possibility of an 
intervening continent submerged ; the story of the 
fabled Atlantis ; the name of Adam (the red man) ; 
repeated discoveries verifying the extreme antiq- 
uity of the western hemisphere ; the traces of migra,- 
tions of certain American races and the wonderful 
ruins they have left in their path ; their but slightly 
deciphered hierogl^-phics, traditions of the Deluge 
and Creation cherished by various tribes; the 
legends of spontaneous origin from the soil, cher- 
ished by some, — by others of long journeys across 
"great waters," — fill our minds v^dth thirst for 
deeper knowledge of the fair>' tales of science. 

There are those who find in the forest denizens 
the children of the long-lost tribes of Israel. We 
cannot but feel a thrill of romantic interest at the 



The Iroquois 3 

proofs adduced. Such are the breastplate and 
mitre of the Indian high-priest — the former of 
white conch shells, the latter of snowy swan's 
feathers; the medicine bags corresponding to the 
phylacteries of the sons of Israel; the red man's 
Feast of First Fruits, celebrated with song and 
dance. 

The tradition of the Phoenician colony in 
America, the annual rekindling of the sacred fires 
practised by some tribes, and, in particular , certain 
points of physical resemblance have given color 
to the Egyptian theory of derivation. 

The historian Bancroft rejecting with emphasis 
the Israelitish claim, above all, enrolls himself 
among the believers in the red man's kinship to 
the Mongolian family. The sign-manual of origin, 
he avers, he bears in racial characteristics and, 
above all, in his language, which is agglutinative 
in type structure. Nations may migrate — so says 
Mr. Bancroft — but they do not deviate from that 
type of their native tongue which groups them 
forever in their own family amid the nimiberless 
races of earth. 

When wise men disagree, it is not for him who 
has scarcely skimmed the surface of the study of 
archaeology to decide. We can only conclude that 
whether the aboriginal race has received and 
assimilated to itself remnants of migrating nations, 
or whether many tribes have met and merged, 
approximating through climatic conditions to a 
certain type, there was something of admixture. 



4 The Historic Mohawk 

in our native population. The past of this conti- 
nent contains a wonderful record of truthful ro- 
mance sealed between its musty covers. May 
future historians yet be privileged to discover 
and interpret many undimmed and illuminated 
pages! 

Whatever traditions of origin may be cherished 
by various tribes of North and South American 
aborigines, the Iroquois warrior goes straight and 
unblushingly to the point. 

The Good Spirit, he says, made Indians of red 
clay and named them Ea-gwe-howe, "real people. " 
He afterward made white men out of sea-foam. 

From the north this group of wild men claims 
origin. Indeed, Montreal and its vicinity bear 
every proof of having been that early home to 
which, at the close of the Revolution, they re- 
turned. The Iroquois Confederacy it was that in 
the days of our forefathers bore rule in Central 
New York, throughout the Valley of the Mohawk 
and beyond, even to the shores of Lake Erie. 
Let us go back to their own accoimt of the creation 
and their early history. 

From an upper realm of men and women there 
descended into an under world of animals a woman 
who then rested upon the back of a turtle pre- 
pared to receive her. She there died, having 
given birth to two sons, one of whom became a 
good spirit and one an evil one. The turtle mean- 
while had expanded to the dimensions of The 
Great Island. The good spirit created good things 



The Iroquois 5 

and good people ; the evil spirit created evil things 
and evil people and subverted the work of his good 
brother. At last the good spirit became trium- 
phant and slew the evil one. 

About 2500 years before Columbus there ap- 
peared a "big elk," an enemy to the peoples, 
who fled from him in terror. We may well con- 
jecture as to whether the phrase refers to the 
Great Mastodon whose pre-historic bones have 
here and there been found, or to some mighty 
chieftain. In the same era the northern nations 
met at a council fire upon the banks of the St. 
Lawrence. They appointed a prince to visit the 
Great Emperor of the Golden City. That mighty 
emperor extended his boundaries and built forts 
almost to Lake Erie. There he was defeated and 
his towns and forts destroyed. Then appeared a 
great serpent with horns. A blazing star fell into 
a St. Lawrence fort, destroying many people. 
Sorrow followed in the wake of these evil omens. 
The northern people fell into war and destroyed 
one another and the wild animals roamed at will. 

Near the Oswego Falls there was by some means 
concealed and preserved underground a body of 
people. These the Holder of the Heavens released 
and took under his protection and led them toward 
the rising sun. Reaching the banks of the Hudson 
he tiumed and again led them toward the north 
and west. From the eastern waters of the Mo- 
hawk even to the shores of Lake Erie did he locate 
at intervals the Five Nations in order — the 



6 The Historic Mohawk 

Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayu- 
gas, and the Senecas. With the remainder he ap- 
proached the river On-aw-we-yo-ka (Mississippi). 
On a grapevine a part of the people crossed, but 
the grapevine broke, the people were parted, and 
those who crossed became the enemies of those 
who remained. 

The sixth nation he now guided southward to 
the mouth of the Neuse River — the Kau-ta-noh — 
Tuscaroras — a race always acknowledged as kins- 
men by the Five Nations; and afterward, when 
conquered by their enemies, finding homes among 
the Oneidas, thus causing the appellation of "the 
Iroquois," the Five Nations, to be changed to 
that of the Six Nations. 

After locating the Tuscaroras, the Holder of the 
Heavens returned to their brethren of the north 
and instituted a Confederacy. He instructed his 
people in their peculiar institutions of govern- 
ment, morals, reHgion, rituals of worship, in ties 
of family and kinship. He gave them com, beans, 
squashes, potatoes, tobacco, with directions for 
their cultivation. He gave them dogs for hunting 
game. 

According to another legend, Manitta admired 
the beautiful country and concluded to create 
red men and put them in possession. He sowed 
five handfuls of red seed in the land of Onondaga. 
Little worms came out and grew into boys and 
girls. After nine seasons he addressed them and 
gave them names. He also assigned them foods 



The Iroquois 7 

according to their qualities, giving com to the 
Mohawks, who were bold, and nuts and fruits to 
the Oneidas, who were patient. The beasts and 
fishes and fowls belonged to all in common. They 
were then urged to love one another and take care 
of one another. They were told that when their 
present bodies were worn out, new ones would be 
produced, and were exhorted to defend their com- 
mon country ; and then, wrapped in bright clouds, 
Manitta was borne toward the sun. 

At length enemies appeared to destroy the 
peace of the Confederacy. Flying heads with 
flaming beards were finally frightened away by 
the sight of a woman eating acorns fresh from the 
fire, they supposing them to be live coals. Poison- 
ous serpents were slain by thunderbolts. Stonish 
Giants, their bodies covered with scales, were 
enticed into a hollow by the Holder of the Heavens 
and there destroyed by heavy stones being rolled 
upon them. A great bear was at length van- 
quished in battle by a cat-like beast. A giant 
mosquito was pursued and slain by the Holder of 
the Heavens. From his blood sprang the smaller 
mosquitoes of the present day. 

At length the Five Nations warred among them- 
selves. Fiercest of all was the Onondaga warrior 
Atotarho, whose body was shielded by hissing 
serpents and whose dishes and spoons were the 
skulls of his enemies. Sought in council by 
Mohawk delegates, he became a Mohawk by 
adoption and renewed among the five disrupted 



8 The Historic Mohawk 

nations the broken covenant chain. He is identi- 
cal with Hiawatha (the very wise man), whose 
later story is thought to be a modification due to 
the white man's influence in introducing the story 
of the Christ. 

According to other legends it was the Holder of 
the Heavens himself, the great Tarenyawagon, 
who, when he had located his people in their new 
abodes, taught them to plant and hunt, laid aside 
his divine nature and dwelt among them and be- 
came the beloved Hiawatha of tradition. He 
married an Onondaga woman and made his home 
on Crow Lake, once Teonto. An only daughter, 
tenderly cherished, became his constant companion 
and friend. 

It was learned, on one occasion, that enemies 
were about to attack the Five Nations. Alarmed, 
they searched for Hiawatha, who was found 
plunged into deep gloom over some approaching 
evil. He yielded, however, to their entreaties 
and accompanied them with his well-beloved 
daughter to the council place. Soon after their 
arrival a strange whirring sound was heard and a 
huge bird of snowy plumage was seen approaching. 
The maiden was borne to the earth, crushed by the 
beak of the bird, which was deeply buried in the 
ground. The assembled warriors hastened to 
adorn their helmets with the dazzling plumage. 
Hiawatha, for several days buried in inconsolable 
grief, at length aroused himself to exhort the Five 
Nations that their indissoluble union would be the 



The Iroquois 9 

only source of protection against their enemies. 
He then solemnly reorganized the Confederacy, 
and, in his white canoe, his mission ended, was 
borne away into the Heavens. 

When the French and Dutch palefaces first 
made their appearance in the present Empire 
State, the Iroquois Confederacy was at the summit 
of its power, — a beautifully modelled little republic 
of five states whose orators and warriors, skilled 
in statesmanship, have won for themselves the 
admiring title of the " Romans of the New World. " 

"People of the Long House," these remarkable 
aborigines styled themselves, likening their strip 
of country to the longitudinal Indian wigwam 
with a common roof but several lodges. The 
Mohawks (Ga-ne-a-ga-o-no), "People Possessors 
of the Flint"; Oneidas (Onayotekaono) , "Granite 
People"; Onondagas (Onundogaono), "People on 
the Hills"; Cayugas (Gwe-u-gweh-o-no) , "People 
at the Mucky Land" ; and Senecas (Nundawaono), 
"Great Hill People," occupied together this stu- 
pendous habitation. On watch at the eastern 
door stood the Mohawk facing the sunrise ; at the 
western door, looking toward the setting sun, was 
stationed his brother Seneca; while in the central 
lodge was seated the Onondaga, guarding the 
council fire. 

"People of Many Fires" is one interpretation 
of the name of Iroquois. Others derive the word 
from the verb "ierokwa, " to smoke. The French 
find origin for the word in the verb "hiro, " 



10 The Historic Mohawk 

which means "I have said." " Konoshioni '* 
(cabin makers) is the appellation adopted by 
themselves. 

They had conquered their ancient enemies, 
the Hurons; they had w-iped out the Neutral and 
Tobacco nations, whose homes lay in their path. 
Old maps shov-ing the region between the St. 
La\\Tence and the Mohawk bear the pathetic 
record "Villages Destroyed." They had pene- 
trated to the Mississippi and the Carolinas; New 
England had felt their power; Long Island lay 
under tribute, and the savage races trembled at 
the name of Konoshioni. 

From Albany to Buffalo stretched the Long 
House of the Iroquois, but the Mohawk Valley, 
beginning with Rome and ending with Cohoes, 
afforded a dwelHng-place to two famines only of 
the Great Confederacy — the Oneidas and the 
Mohawks. 

Called "Maquaas" by the Dutch, "Agniers" 
by the French, "Mohawks" by the Enghsh, by 
themselves "Caniengas, " People of the Flint, the 
people who gave their name to our loveh^ river 
lived in a region bounded on the north by the 
Lake of Corlaer, on the east by the Falls of Cohoes, 
on the south by the sources of the Susquehanna, 
and on the west by the country of the Oneidas. 
Bravest of all the brave Iroquois, theirs was the 
right to furnish a war-chief who should lead the 
Five Nations to arms. It was theirs to collect 
tribute of shells of wampum from the Long Island 



The Iroquois ii 



I'i :: mrry ccsiqaest alon 
ando: : .er: .: - 15 sar:! that trib-e ; 



oftfae K_i :r ^ : r -"^^their - r-ory. These 
were :hf r-r". " - -i^^^.c-e ~::- :-fir pale- 

iacem ;r : ::~ _ "_„t;- -;: -^ the 

hfllof 7 I: ' f 7-1 T :; 

Hiaw - - ;:r:.-;r- : .t ;::\:t :: ;Ti;e ~:::: :... 

Dutch 5r:::fr: :: .7:,-:v -li ::-:;-:::-: -rv: 

tile :: t: ..:: as bfi^^t .ir _-.fr l: :., 

gen:-: :: r i:?r. it was stamec :: 't ::i 
<rf ;.- ::: when the Britc-s il-L.ri 1 ;r.:. 

Fr:~ 2. -:::: - :7e St. 



Cfe aii :-:^i rive Nadoos. 
of by eer' --7f-f r.5 — : 
ladt in m r^ .e 

Nohte in -- r 
language. j.i t : r , 7 _ 
flowing^ an I 5:: ^: " 

people - - -'-- 

first t;^ 15 : 

was U2CZ. Tie 7r__ 



12 The Historic Mohawk 

(Kaw-nah-taw-te-ruh). The next location was in 
the town of Stockbridge, Madison County, at 
Ca-nagh-ta-ragh-ga-ragh. About 1550 they re- 
moved to Oneida Castle — Ca-no-na-lo-a (Enemy's 
Head on a Pole). Here they were settled in 1609 
and here they were still in 1677 when the traveller, 
Greenhalgh, says of them that the "Onyades have 
but one town, doubly stockaded, of about one 
hundred houses. " 

" 0-ne-yu-ta-aug " — this is the way the Oneidas 
pronounced the name of the Oneida Stone, a 
granite boulder which rested always near them 
in all their joumeyings and which they appeared 
to adore. The "aug" was pronounced smoothly 
as a breath and seems to give the whole word a 
more definite meaning. 0-nia-ta-aug signified 
"People of the Stone." 

Before white man had set foot in the Maquas 
or Mohawk country there existed there four Indian 
castles, called prehistoric, all situated upon tribu- 
taries of the Maquas River. On the sites of 
these prehistoric castles, around the roots of trees 
since gro^m, can be found necklaces, arrow-heads, 
fragments of Indian pottery, and rude instruments 
of bone and shell and stone for cutting, piercing, and 
digging. The old castles were built in inaccessible 
forests, on lofty sites above ravines, and well 
palisaded with trunks of many trees. These 
fortifications, constructed often of thousands of 
trees, were the result of much labor with most 
primitive weapons. On a .platform on top from 




to 
c 



■j c 



:j 5" 



j:: 



The Iroquois 13 

which the siege could be resisted, were piled 
quantities of stones and stored great tanks of 
water, the latter in defence against the besieger's 
most formidable weapon, — fire. 

The earliest castles known by the white people 
were three, all south of the river, named for their 
respective clans — the Turtle, the Bear, and the 
Wolf — and situated at Auriesville, Fultonville, and 
Spraker's Basin. In the year 1666 all were de- 
stroyed by the French. An interesting table of 
Indian castles as they were in days of earlier 
white settlements has been prepared by Mr. S. L. 
Frey. 

After the destruction of these villages in 1666, 
they were moved to the north side of the river, 
and all were situated between Fonda and Little 
Falls. 

About 1690 the final remove was probably made 
to the south side of the river, the villages now 
being located at Fort Hunter, Fort Plain, and 
Indian Castle. In the later years of the red 
man's Ufe in the Mohawk Valley the castles were 
but two — the upper, or Canajoharie Castle at 
Danube, and the lower castle (Ti-non-de-ro-ga), 
at the junction of Schoharie creek with the Mo- 
hawk River. 

The findings of all these castles differ from those 
of the prehistoric ones in that they are mixed 
somewhat with the white man's wares, — rings, 
arm-bands, Jesuit crosses, iron axes, coins, and 
modem machine-made wampum. 



14 The Historic Mohawk 

Before the middle of the seventeenth century, 
the Jesuit missionary, Jogues, had visited the 
Mohawk capital and suffered martyrdom with 
his comrades, — and still others, though more dis- 
tant, had been captured at the Huron mission and 
slain by Mohawk braves. Among these were 
Jogues, Daniel, Broebeuf, Lalemant, Garnier, 
Garreau. Others met with horrible tortures. 

Nevertheless, the Jesuits persevered. Father 
Lemoyne visiting the Five Nations several times 
previous to 1658. On September 14, 1667, Fathers 
Bruyas, Pierron, and Fremin arrived at the capital, 
Tionnontogen, to renew the Mohawk mission. 
They fastened a belt of wampum on a pole, 
affirming that Onontio would so hang the first 
person to break the new covenant. 

St. Mary's Chapel was that year erected. At 
that mission Fremin, who best understood the 
tongue, gained some influence and saved some 
captives from death. Nevertheless, the mission- 
aries were often insulted. 

The same year the Jesuit mission of St. Francis 
Xavier was established at Oneida, and there Father 
Bruyas met with some measure of success. In 
October, 1668, Pierron was for a time the only 
missionary among the Mohawks, but was soon 
joined by Boniface, under whose guidance the 
Indians built the Chapel of St. Peter's, near the 
present Fonda. 

At about 1770, a little settlement of Catholic 
Christian Indians was started on the banks of the 



The Iroquois 15 

St. Lawrence by a small body of Oneidas and 
Mohawks, and named La Prairie. To this village, 
from time to time, came accessions of Praying 
Indians from the banks of the Mohawk. Among 
these converts were Kryn, the "Great Mohawk," 
a prominent chief, and Kateri Tekakwitha, the 
famous "Lily of the Mohawks." 

Boniface was succeeded in 1675 by de Lamber- 
ville. From 1642 to 1684 has been called the 
golden age of the Catholic faith among the Iro- 
quois. The termination of the missions in New 
York was brought about largely by the agency of 
Governor Dongan, himself a Catholic, who be- 
lieved the influence of the Jesuits detrimental to 
the interests of Britain. In the year 1784, De 
Lamberville, the last Jesuit Mohawk missionary, 
took his departure for Canada. 

The Iroquois built his house by thrusting into 
the ground a few crotched stakes and covering 
them with bark. In this long house were lodged 
several families having right of way in a common 
central passage. Four families, two on each side, 
had share in one fire, the smoke of which escaped 
through an aperture at the top. Did another 
family claim dwelling in this abode, it was enlarged 
by an extension at one end. These long and 
narrow dwellings, twelve or fifteen feet in width, 
were often one hundred feet or more in length, 
thus accommodating perhaps twenty families in 
five sections. At either end a strip of bearskin 
or of bark suspended from the top answered for 



1 6 The Historic Mohawk 

a door. The pot was always boiling and each 
helped himself as he pleased. No one in an Indian 
village was allowed to go hungry as long as there 
was plenty for each. In rude comfort the occu- 
pants squatted or lay, each on the mat of rushes 
assigned him as his own, his feet toward the fire. 

Adorned with the plumage and beaks of birds 
and the claws of beasts, their images tattooed upon 
his skin, his body in winter time protected by the 
wild creatures' skins and furs, the stately red man 
went about his tasks in the wild freedom of savage 
toil. Delicate was his skill in bone-carving, a lost 
art when once the European became established 
upon the soil. Fine was his workmanship in by- 
gone days in arrow-heads of flint and stone and in 
the construction of pottery and pipes. He shaped 
for use, too, his own rude and effective tools, the 
tomahawk and the mortar; he fashioned the birch- 
bark canoe which shot so picturesquely along the 
waters of the Mohawk and the Hudson, the Great 
Lakes and the mighty rivers of the West, and the 
snowshoe was his invention. 

He caught the abundant fresh-water fish in his 
naked hand or speared it by torchlight at night; 
he traversed the forests for game. Unlearned in 
books, the wild man was versed in Nature's lore. 
The bending twig, the swaying grain, the distant 
scream, the gentle breeze told eloquent stories to 
each alert and well-trained sense. The unerring 
arrow sought its mark; the hunter bore to his 
lodge his burden of fresh-slain meat, or directed 



The Iroquois 17 

his docile squaw to fetch it from the forest 
paths. 

A great kettle was kept boiling throughout the 
winter. One warrior after another threw his 
contribution into it. This meant that when next 
the war-cry sounded he would be one of the party. 
The war-dance took place in February. Decorated 
with brightest plumage and dazzling war-paint and 
adorned with the head of the bear, the turtle, or 
the wolf, the warrior, with savage glee, trod on 
such occasions the wild measures, amid excited 
chantings and the beating of the Indian drum. 
He yelled at the side of an imaginary fire, he 
flung his tomahawk at the war-post. "Wah-hu! 
Ho-ha!" was the refrain, in which he joined. Well 
might the matrons crouch in admiring horror and 
the Indian lads open wider their wondering eyes. 
The warrior was accustomed also to recount his 
own brave deeds and those of his fathers, and to 
point with pride to the scalps dangling at his belt. 
His comrades grunted approval. 

Any young brave who had secured a following 
might be a chief. 

When the appointed time had arrived, the de- 
parting warriors, each provided with a store of 
commeal and a little maple sugar, marched in 
silence for a few miles. Then, making a halt and 
selecting a large oak, they stripped from it the 
bark and left it as a means of information con- 
cerning the details of their expedition. A pictured 
canoe denoted a journey, the number of men 



i8 The Historic Mohawk 

therein symbolized the number of warriors, the 
figure of some animal, the tribe they would attack. 
Heralds preceded them on their return, whose 
manner as well as speech signified the measure of 
success or defeat. Meanwhile their silent squaws, 
who had accompanied them thus far on their 
journey, now returned, bearing v\-ith them the 
warriors' finery, which they had discarded for 
humbler garb. 

Did the trip end in \'ictory, the captives were 
met near the castle by the women and children 
arranged in two rows and armed with rods. There 
the prisoners "ran the gauntlet," dodging the 
blows as best they might. They were afterward 
put to death vrith horrible tortures amid the 
exultant grunts of their captors. Did a victim 
bear his sufferings bravely, admiration was rife. It 
might be some dark-eyed matron, moved by pity 
or admiration, or stirred by heart hunger at some 
recent loss, would speak for his life while there 
was yet time, and adopt him in place of husband 
or son. Or, if spared for some days from the 
torture, he might be exchanged for another 
prisoner. 

Was peace to be sought "^^th the enemy, mes- 
sengers approached him \s-ith the calumet, the 
Pipe of Peace. Through the long reed, tastefully 
decorated -u^ith plumage, the reconciled warriors 
puffed in turn the smoke, which ascended in 
fluffy clouds from the soft red marble bowl. 
Around the council fire they sat and, at each 



The Iroquois 19 

dramatic pause on the part of the speaker, there 
passed from one contracting party to the other 
the binding belt of wampum. Eloquent in the 
simple poetry of nature were the ancient forests 
when the red men held their "pow-wows" be- 
neath the grand old boughs! "> 

Deep in the ground the offending tomahawk 
was laid to rest and the earth above it rendered 
hard by the tramping of many feet. The forest 
children were not without their recreations, 
whether in fierce or merry mood. At the most 
formal of these the red man was clothed in his full 
uniform. His regalia have been described as 
strikingly like those of the Scotch Highlander — 
his head covering, a turban, a chaplet of feathers 
or a single quill; his tunic of skins, consisting of 
pieces for the front and back, neatly joined with 
thongs; a beaded shoulder sash; a leather belt 
for arms, knife, and dangling scalps; breech -cloth 
and kilt of deerskin; high leggings supported by 
belt and overlapping the moccasins below — all 
this paraphernalia richly embroidered, it may be, 
with porcupine quills and an ornamental blanket 
loosely wTapped over all, lending grace to the 
warrior's sinewy form; this was the state dress 
of the red man at his ceremonial feasts. 

The Festival of the White Dog was celebrated 
with horrid rites. It was their New Year's feast 
and, beginning in early February, was seven days 
in length. In time this seems to have merged into 
the Dream Feast which in early days was distinct. 



20 The Historic Mohawk 

The Dream Feast, in March, was a riot of 
fantasies. The warriors dreamed and the medi- 
cine man interpreted, going out at midnight to 
gather weird creatures to help him with his charms. 
All dreamed, and all dreams must be fulfilled. 
All feigned to be mad and did mad deeds. 

Then there were the Maple Feast, when sap 
began to flow, the Planting Festival, the Straw- 
berry Feast, the Feast of the Green-Corn Moon, 
and the Harvest Festival. 

Once in ten years came the solemn Feast of the 
Dead, when the bodies of those who had died during 
the last decade were brought together from their 
temporary graves. Reverently the bones were 
scraped and laid together in one huge pit, warmly 
and richly lined with furs. 

Hampers of food were then placed upon this 
common grave to provide for the journey of the 
now departing souls which had hitherto lingered 
about the bodies of the dead. 

The Bear, the Wolf, and the Turtle — into these 
three clans were all the nations divided and with 
their respective totems were they all adorned. 
No man might marry into his own clan, and right 
of descent was held through the female Hne. In 
honor of the origin of all mankind when the mother 
of creation descended into the lower world and 
was received upon the back of a turtle, the Turtle 
Clan was accorded highest honor. 

The red man had virtues and faults not unchar- 
acteristic of his savage state. He was cruel to 



The Iroquois 21 

his foes ; he was brave, generous, hospitable. The 
balance of testimony is in favor of his loyalty and 
gratitude. 

The dark-eyed maiden destined one day to 
become his bride was neatly attired, in a short 
tunic, or overdress, and a short petticoat wrought 
with porcupine quills. This embroidery was 
probably her own work, done with her own bone 
needle and deer-sinew thread. Her pretty moc- 
casins and leggings came up to meet the skirt 
and her hair was oiled and hung unconfined or 
loosely braided down her back. Perhaps, by way 
of adornment, an eagle's feather was fastened 
lightly into her raven locks, or perhaps a riband 
of eelskin was added dyed with sturgeon paste. 
She wore a blanket over all. Thus adorned she 
went with her jug to draw water from the 
Indian well and there she met her pretty squaw 
comrades. 

It may be that her maternal relatives have 
consulted with those of some young brave and 
have arranged an advantageous alliance for her. 
It was customary for her promised husband to 
come one night to the lodge of the fair one and 
seat himself beside his bride, who was adorned 
for the occasion in her best. He previously sent 
valuable presents of furs and bearskins to the 
lodge. She now presented him with a cup of 
sangamon and the twain through this simple 
ceremony became one, albeit bound by a tie most 
easily dissolved. 



22 The Historic Mohawk 

Meanwhile the neighborly squaws were wont to 
provide for the bride. They would collect for her 
use firewood enough to last a year. With this 
outfit she set up housekeeping for herself in her 
own alcove of the lodge of her people, to which 
her newly-made husband would thereafter bring 
the furs and flesh and the products of the 
chase. 

The housekeeping utensils in her apartment of 
the four-family long house were simple and few. 
There was the clay bake-kettle in which she cooked, 
without much previous cleaning, the fish, flesh, 
and fowl. There were the mortar and pestle with 
which she ground the corn before it was ready to 
be simply mixed with water and baked into cakes 
under the hot ashes; a calabash or two — one for 
water, — with a basket for carrying beans and 
maize, and stone and flint for kindling fire. 
Among the cross-beams above, some of the 
smaller implements were stored. 

It was one of the duties of the squaw to gather 
the forest fruits, to bring home and preserve the 
forest game, and to brew the tea from the bark 
of the Sangamon. She worked throughout the 
day to cultivate the maize, the beans, and squash ; 
she helped to build the wigwam and when, at 
moving time, occasion called, to bear it upon her 
back. In winter, when fuel was scarce and snow 
lay deep, she carried upon her shoulders her burden 
strap, fastened across the forehead, and searched 
the drifts for dried branches of trees. She was 



The Iroquois 23 

not without her privileges. The Hne in rank of 
descent was held through her, and it was the voice 
of the matrons which gave the final decision in a 
question of peace or war. She reared the young 
papoose. 

This dusky baby she strapped upon his carved 
and curtained cradle-board and bore his light 
weight upon her shoulders, or, as she worked, she 
left him swinging from the dangling branches of a 
near-by tree. Truly he learned to be stoical in his 
infancy. He grew to boyhood and indulged with 
his playmates in wrestling and running, rode the 
wild pony, shot the lithe arrow, and was taught to 
bear pain with seeming indifference. 

As a youth, he was ambitious to be a warrior; 
as an old man, a counsellor. Perhaps he forswore 
other plans to become a medicine-man. 

This learned and respected person occupied a 
unique place in the estimation of his tribe. Dur- 
ing the midnight watches, he would issue forth 
to collect bark and roots and fragrant buds and 
the flying things that crawled about them or 
fluttered heavily among the leaves. By means of 
strange mixtures and mysterious spells, he was 
expected to do works of magic, to tell fortunes, 
to cure wounds, to give counsel in matters of love 
and state. By dint of cunning and device, it was 
easy to deceive the credulous, in giving exhibitions 
of his skill. 

If he happened to be a chief, he belonged to one 
of five classes — head-chiefs, warrior-chiefs, pine- 



24 The Historic Mohawk 

tree-chiefs, war-chiefs, and honorary-chiefs. The 
head-chiefs acqmred their titles by inheritance, 
deriving them, however, through descent in the 
female line. 

Their election was dependent upon nomination 
by the oldest near female relative of the recently 
deceased chief. The new ruler was selected from 
among her own near kinsmen. 

The warrior-chief was attendant to the head- 
chief, and acted, on occasion, as his deputy. The 
pine-tree-chief was a self-made man who had 
risen to position and influence in the community 
by his own superior and commanding quaHty of 
prov/ess or diplomacy. The honorary-chief was a 
foreigner, an alien, a visitor, perhaps, — some im- 
portant guest, probably, upon whom the Iroquois 
wished to confer a peculiar token of his regard. 
This honor was not infrequently bestowed upon a 
white man. The war-chief might be any one who 
could secure a following. Having once demon- 
strated his rank, his bravery was, of course, held in 
higher regard and his position assured. 

Finally, whether medicine-man or chieftain, the 
brave was compelled to leave this beautiful world. 
Wrapped in his blankets, adorned with his best 
jewels of claws, plumage, and wampum beads, with 
his hunting implements at his side, he was buried 
in a sitting posture in the sandy soil, with a tree 
at his head to mark his resting-place, awaiting 
his removal to a common grave with his comrades 
at the next great Feast of the Dead. Then the 



The Iroquois 25 

Great Spirit whom he had served in life would 
guide him afar to that happy region where the 
giant forests were uncut and the grassy plains were 
unpolluted by the white man's foot. 



CHAPTER II 
th£ early dutch and their settlements 

THE light of the seventeenth century dawned 
upon the Mohawk Valley revealing its 
savage forests yet unbroken. The eagle darted 
upon her prey and the leopard reared her cubs. 
As untrammelled as they, strode the red man with 
his quiver, seeking skins for raiment and flesh for 
food. He fished in the historic river on whose 
banks his squaw, with clumsy bone tools, tilled her 
patch of squashes and melons, beans and maize. 
War-paint, Corn Dances, and Mohawk Castles 
were things of the present. The Dutch pale- 
faces were not the first to found a trading post at 
Albany and open commerce with the Iroquois. 
That distinction is due to the French. About 
1540 they had planted a trading post and begun 
traffic in peltries. Then came the Huguenot war, 
diverting for many years the attention of the 
French Government from her American posses- 
sions. Freshets destroyed the fort and, in 1614, 
the Dutch built Fort Nassau upon the ruins and 
placed Jacob Elkins in command. 

In 1603 the French resumed the settlement of 

26 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 27 

Canada. Many sin Iroquois warrior skulking 
along the St. Lawrence in quest of his Algonquin 
foe had caught sight of some fair-faced French- 
man; more than once, on westward incursions 
against hapless Huron, had descried the white- 
skinned Jesuit about his religious tasks. The 
fiery, imprudent Champlain had raised the belch- 
ing cannon against the terror-stricken savages of 
the Long House, thus dealing the French cause 
(his own) a blow forever beyond the power of 
Jesuit policy to heal. The sight of white men at 
Albany did not present an unfamiliar spectacle. 
All were ready to be friendly with the peaceful 
newcomers. The French palefaces had furnished 
firearms to their Algonquin foes and permitted 
their ancient enemy, once subdued, to renew their 
triumph. The Dutch should supply their red 
brethren with white man's arms and once more Al- 
gonquin scalps should dangle from Mohawk belts. 
An interesting people were these who drove 
their trade in pelts and caused the woodman's 
axe to ring, as they cleared land and built homes 
in the new-found world, — a race of bravery as 
old as the known history of Europe. In the age- 
dimmed annals of the past, it is recorded that the 
Batavii, most successfully of all German races, 
resisted the encroachments of all-conquering 
Rome. Not subdued, but conciliated, they be- 
came the allies of Cassar, not his slaves. In 
later days their successors, the free Frisians of the 
same district, alone of all the neighboring races. 



28 The Historic Mohawk 

preserved their own laws and their own land and 
bowed not to feudalism. We see in these records 
the shining beginnings of that spirit which, in 
later days, illuminated the people of the Nether- 
lands. No doubt it was conducive to the develop- 
ment of "Dutch grit" to wrest, inch by inch, their 
precious country from the ocean's grip, to build 
dykes for back-bones and plant cities upon them; 
where God had placed the sea, thence to redeem 
the land, and to "drive out the fishes to make 
room for the cows." No doubt it prepared them 
for that tremendous struggle for religious liberty 
in which, with set teeth, the Dutchman refused 
to be beaten, and, after eighty years of contest, 
drove out the Spanish aggressor at last. Catholic 
Spain had demanded change of faith from those 
Protestant Netherland cities, which built within 
their limits, as fast as one wall was battered down, 
another to take its place, and in last extremity, 
at risk of their own existence, cut the dykes and 
called on the swelling ocean to sweep the enemy 
from the land. 

In time of peace did Holland excel no less. Her 
sons invented the thimble and the plough. They 
loved their sheep and cattle and carefully tended 
them. Wool and dairy produce brought them 
wealth. Crusaders returning from the Holy War 
introduced the arts of distant lands. Such were 
the spinning of flax, the making of bricks. The 
fine arts of Italy found apt students among the 
painstaking Dutch. 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 29 

The Netherlands became perennially lovely with 
luxuriant bloom, the window-gardens gay with 
flowers. Lace-making flourished in its perfection, 
and there grew up that soul-appealing school of 
painting which took for its subject the familiar 
domestic landscape and the sacred life of the home 
circle. 

The descendants of the Dutch have no reason 
to be ashamed of their derivation from the race 
that established the first free school, furnished an 
asylum for those oppressed by religious persecution, 
and lent us a part of our Constitution, — a race 
from which we borrowed the colors of our flag, 
and which was first to salute officially its freshly 
fluttering folds. 

The queer Dutch vessels scoured the sea, enrich- 
ing their country by commerce and planting 
colonies in many climes. In 1609 Hendrik Hud- 
son made his memorable voyage along the noble 
stream which bears his name. In due time there 
was effected a settlement on Manhattan Island. 
In 1 6 14 Hendrick Cortiasen erected a block-house 
at Fort Nassau, two miles below the site of the 
future Fort Orange. In 161 7 a freshet destroyed 
this fort and a new one was established, called by 
the Indians Tawasgunshee, on the banks of 
Norman's Kil. 

In 1623, Fort Orange was established by Come- 
lis Jacobsen Mey, who is said to have brought with 
him thirty persons — eight families (chiefly Wal- 
loons). The fact of the arrival of families at that 



30 The Historic Mohawk 

time is, however, disputed, and it is probable that 
no permanent settlement was effected prior to 
1630 when the patroon Van Rensselaer found it to 
his advantage to rent out his lands to colonists. 

Jacobsen Mey proved an efficient leader. Under 
his direction his followers cleared small spaces for 
their future homes. For the purpose, among the 
well-to-do, of avoiding those contrasts so dis- 
couraging in an infant community ; for the purpose, 
above all, of economizing the time so needful to 
providing food supply, the first dwellings were of 
the simplest, merely neatly wood-lined ground 
caverns arched with spars, thatched with bark or 
sod. 

The industry of the settlers was repaid, and 
teeming nature lent a willing hand. Grains of 
Indian com, once planted, Holland-bought seeds 
as well, soon sprouted and grew rapidly and high. 
Berries, wild grapes, and nuts flourished in pro- 
fusion. Kneeling, in strawberry season, upon 
the grass, one could eat the sweet wild berries to 
the full. 

Flocks of pigeons, fall and spring, yielded them- 
selves season after season to the hunter's ready 
rifle and the house-wife's luscious pigeon-pies. 
Venison was to be had in the forest and the river 
teemed with fish. Wrote home to the mother- 
country an enthusiastic son: 

Had we cows, hogs, and other animals fit for food 
(which we daily expect in the first ship), we would not 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 31 

wish to return to Holland, for whatever we desire 
in the paradise of Holland is found here. 

In 1630, the patroon Van Rensselaer colonized 
a grant of land about twenty-four miles each side 
the Hudson River, including Fort Orange, which 
now began to be truly settled. 

About 1648, we find that to the shabby little 
fort of twenty-five or thirty wooden houses have 
been gradually added some of brick and stone, 
with three-fourths of the people engaged in the 
flourishing trade that conferred upon it the name 
of Beverwyck. 

In 161 7, upon the hill of Tawasentha, near 
Norman's Kil, on the site of an ancient Indian 
castle, the white man and the red smoked together 
the pipe of peace and kept bright the covenant 
chain, which never grew dull or rusty until the 
future years when the Briton set a price upon the 
American scalp. 

Fascinating Beverwyck, good Dutch mother of 
the white dwellers in the Mohawk Valley, among 
whom for many years her Dutch customs were 
perpetuated! There, on winter evenings, sat the 
"wilden" at the fireside, listening curiously to the 
mother's lullaby to her babe in its hooded cradle. 
There, in summer months, built the birds on the 
roof of the high-arched, double-benched stoep, 
where, at nightfall, the good vrouw chatted with 
her neighbors and mynheer smoked his long- 
stemmed pipe. Up the street then came the 



32 The Historic Mohawk 

herdsman with his horn, leading the faithful kine, 
each stopping at her own home to be milked. 

Meanwhile, as early as 1642, strange events 
were transpiring among the red men, a few miles 
farther west. The Jesuits, noble and learned men, 
devoted to the tenets of their faith, had been 
already for some years at work in their missions 
among the Hurons and neighboring Indian tribes. 
Three of these unhappy men, Rene Goupil, Guil- 
laume Couture, laymen, and Isaac Jogues, a 
priest, while in canoes with a party of Hurons 
upon Lake St. Peter, were seized by a war party of 
Mohawks, and, amid tortures which shall be 
nameless, so horrible and dread were they, escorted 
to the Indian Castles upon the Mohawk, for still 
greater tortures yet reserved. To the reUef of 
these French prisoners three Albany Dutchmen 
were sent. No entreaties, no prayers, no money 
value would avail for a ransom, but, for the time 
being, their lives were spared. 

Couture was presently adopted and removed 
to another village. Rene, "the good Rene," 
died by the assassin's tomahawk, having been 
observed to make the sign of the cross, which 
the Dutch had once taught the Indians was bad. 
Jogues was allowed to linger on, dragging out a 
wretched existence. The Huron captives he 
made his especial care, but his constant prayers 
before a cross and his refusal to eat food prepared 
for the demon Aireskoi caused much suspicion. 

The body of Goupil had been thrown by chil- 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 33 

dren into a ravine, but Jogues was able to rescue 
it and give it temporary burial. In the summer of 
1643, the young priest, with the help of the Dutch, 
secretly took passage for New York and thence to 
France, which he reached in great destitution. 

Soon after, the Mohawks inclined to peace, for 
which they sued. A mission was again estab- 
lished. Jogues, who had returned, was sent at his 
own risk. Well received on an embassy which he 
performed, he left his trunk with them for a short 
time, intending to return. Meanwhile this little 
box brought contagion upon the Indians and 
blasted their crops. He found the chiefs in war- 
paint. He was threatened and tortured. The 
Bear, the Wolf, and the Tortoise sat in conclave 
and the latter two voted for his life, but the Bear 
slew him at an entertainment to which he had 
been invited. His companion, Lalande, met with 
a similar fate. 

Arendt Van Curler, a cousin of the patroon Van 
Rensselaer, early came to this country, and became 
the director of Rensselaerwyck. So wise and 
just was he in his dealings that he was beloved by 
all. Particularly was he in favor with the Indians, 
so much so that they adopted his name, Corlaer, 
as meaning Governor, and from that time forward 
every ruler was dubbed "Corlaer. " In 1642, there 
feU into the hands of the Indians those unhappy 
Frenchmen who, in the unflinching pursuit of 
religious duties, had angered the superstitious 
savages and been put to torture. The offer of 



34 The Historic Mohawk 

six hundred florins for ransom was refused, al- 
though the promise was given that the prisoners' 
lives should be spared. 

Three citizens of Albany had been sent to the 
Indian Castle at Caughnawaga, in mercy, to 
effect their relief. Arendt Van Curler, who was 
one of the three, wrote, one year later, a letter to 
the Holland patroons, in which he referred quaintly 
to this visit to the "Maquas country," where 
three Frenchmen were kept prisoners, among them 
a Jesuit, a very learned man, whom they "treated 
very badly by cutting off his fingers and thumbs. " 

An earlier letter reads: "A half day's journey 
from the colonic, on the Mohawk river, there lies 
the most beautiful land that the eye of man ever 
beheld." This same "most beautiful land" was 
destined to be the future home of its admirer and 
to be called by his name. 

The patroon system, carried out to its ultimate 
results, did not prove the system adapted to liberty- 
loving Hollanders. The director himself, the wise 
Van Curler, cousin of the patroon, became edu- 
cated out of it. 

In the year 1662, there marched along the 
present Clinton Avenue of Albany and as far as 
Norman's Kil, a party of fourteen men, with their 
families, led by Van Curler. Northward thence 
along the old Indian trail of blazed trees they 
wended their way until they reached the site of an 
ancient Indian village — the Great Flats, a plateau 
or spur of the Helderbergs, secure above the rise 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 35 

of the Mohawk. Governor Schuyler had granted 
permission to settle this fertile land, and the pale- 
faces bought it of their red brethren in regular 
form. In July, 1631, the Indians gave the deed to 
"Schonowe" and signed it with their rude totem 
effigies: Cantuquo, a Bear; Aiadane, a Turtle; 
Sonareetsie, a Wolf. 

A district sixteen miles long and eight miles wide 
became the selected site, and on the eastern end 
of this long projecting peninsula they laid out 
their village, 1200 feet in width, comprising 175 
acres, in four subdivided blocks, and stockaded 
it with posts of pine and piled-up earth, with block- 
houses at the gates and angles and a passageway 
inside for the patrol of troops. Each family was 
assigned a house lot in the village, a farm on the 
flats, a bit of pasture land and a garden site on 
the lowland. The infant settlement had further- 
more, on three sides, natural defences of marsh- 
land and water. 

Thus was begun that settlement of the Mohawk 
Valley which the Indians called " Corlaer. " After 
the conquest of New York by the English, it be- 
came known by an aboriginal name. When the 
red man had abandoned his castle near the hill of 
Tawasentha, that ancient site became known as 
the Place outside the Door. Another westward 
removal and that name was applied to the present 
fair and bustling city of Schenectady, which bears 
on its seal an ear of com — corn-ear — Corlaer, the 
insignia of its founder. 






36 The Historic Mohawk 

On May 20, 1664, the surveyor, S' Jacques 
Cortelyou, was directed to lay out land at Schenec- 
tady, surveying in those days being accomplished 
in the simplest way, such as stepping off or meas- 
uring with ropes. When all lands within the 
bounds of the little grant were cultivated, it 
became necessary to extend its limits. This was 
done by means of two Indian deeds, extinguishing 
aboriginal claims. 

Part of agreement between Inhabitants of 
Schenectady and four Mohawk Castles, 3d July, 
1672: 

Inhabitants of Schenectady Together with sartain 
Indians called Dohorywachqua and Crage, repre- 
senting four Mohawk Castles, MADE A Sale of 
Lands Lying Neare the Towne Schanhectade within 
Three Dutch Myles in compasse on boath Sides of 
y' River Westwards which endes in Hinaquariones 
where the Last Battell Wass between the Mohoaks 
and the North Indians for y^ summe of Six hundred 
hands of good Whey te Wampum Six Koatesof Duffels, 
Thirty barres of Lead and Nine bagges of powder 
Which They doe promis unto y' s"^ Indians in two 
Terms, viz., The first as soon as the Sachems or any 
person by them authorized shall Comme out of ye 
Country according to Theyre usuall manner and have 
Thereupon delivered unto ye said Indians as a present 
for the old man in the Mohawk Country a Rundlet 
of brandy, — To the end all Misunderstanding and 
Complaints May be Washt of and Removed. 

Guan-ho-ha = door; S'Gaun-ho-ha = the door = 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 37 

Schonowe; Hac-ta-tie ~ without. S'Gaun-ho-ha- 
hac-ta-ta; S'Gaun-hac-ta-tie. 

Thus is given one explanation of the origin of 
the name Schenectady. Albany, once the door of 
the Mohawk country, became afterward its 
Schenectady — our present Schenectady being at 
that time the chief town. Afterward as the 
Castles drew westwardly it became, in its turn, 
Outside the Door. Some writers, however, give 
the meaning simply as Beyond the Pine Plains, 
referring from the Albany standpoint to the great 
plains between that town and Schenectady. 

To the white man's village established on the 
site of their early Castle the Indians gave the 
name " Corlaer. " The Governor himself denomi- 
nated it Schonowe, and the French knew it as 
Les nouvelles habitations hollandaises. 

Mr. Pearson tells us that some of the early 
settlers were actually without surnames. Some 
of the interesting examples he gives are these: 
Knickerbacker — maker of knickers (children's mar- 
bles) or small china wares; 
de Steenbacker — brick-maker ; 
Storm Van Der Zee — born during a storm at sea; 
Kleyn Isaak — little Isaack, etc. 

The beginnings of state in the infant settlement 
were quaint indeed. 

In 1675, August 30, the "Commisaryes" of 
the town received orders that "you are to Keep 
Court 2d Tuesday in every moneth, you are to 
judge as farre as putting in the Stocks or ffine, 



38 The Historic Mohawk 

not exceedig fforty Guilders Beavers." For 
larger fines or cases requiring more serious disci- 
pline appeals must be made to the court at 
Albany. They were also ordered not to sell 
liquor to Indians unless sellers were licensed. 

A good woman of Schenectady, however, ob- 
tained some relief in this regard, after her petition 
had been duly considered "At a Councill held in 
Fort James, Jan. 27, 1672-3. " 

Juffrow Curler's Petition from Schanectade desir- 
ing some ffavors about Liberty to trade with the 
Indyans in regard of her great Losse by the ffire . . . 
she may for her p'sent Relief e bee soe far indulged 
as to have Licence to sell some Rumme to ye Indyans 
as also some quantity of Powder and Lead. 

This request was granted so far as the " Rumme 
to the Indyans" was concerned "for ye space and 
terme of whole yeare and two months after the 
Date hereof, " but the powder right it was not 
thought best to bestow. 

The Court Records, 1678, April 3d, mention 
the sale of a "neegher, Jacob, twenty-four yrs. 
old, to Sweer Teimise for one hundred good whole 
beaver skins," while a case which must have 
excited much comment at the time was brought 
up at Albany on Sept. 17, 1686, when complaint 
was made : 

Yt Bennony Arentse doth most ere welly and bar- 
barously Beat y" Daughter of Viele deceased of w^ 
he is the step-father w" child being stood before ye 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 39 

justices of the Peace is found all blak and blew smd 
ye said Bennony being sent for by a Warrant and 
appearing before ye justices doth excuse himself. 
Because she is a whole night and somethinge half a 
night out a seeking cows. 



We are glad to know that the magistrates 
promptly placed the child in the hands of compe- 
tent trustees. 

The people of the new settlement of Schenectady 
were from the first given to dabbling in the Indian 
trade. The participation of Schenectady inter- 
fered with the profits of those at Albany and such 
traffic at the latter place was formally prohibited 
June 7, 1669. 

Nevertheless Governor Andros finds liimself 
sorely tried in June, 1678, by the "frequent goeing 
off wagons or carts between this place and Skin- 
nectady. Uppon verry slight or frivolous occa- 
sions or Pretenses." Such vehicles he therefore 
restrained from similar errands for the space of 
three months except upon "Extraordinary occa- 
sions" with the consent of the magistrates and 
then only when carrying no goods upon ' ' Penalty 
off forfeiting all such waggons or carts and horses. " 

But greater woes than these were at hand. The 
white man had moved into the "Maquas' Land" 
and must suffer with them. The red man's ver- 
sion of the origin of the long enmity between the 
Adirondacks and the Five Nations is this : 

The Five Nations used to be planters of corn 



40 The Historic Mohawk 

but the Adirondacks were great hunters. They 
therefore traded with one another. But once when 
the game was scarce some of the yoiing men of the 
Five Nations assisted in the himt. Their prowess 
finally aroused the jealousy of their allies, who 
murdered some of them. The complaint of the 
Five Nations brought but inadequate punishment. 
Living near the site of the present Montreal, they 
were compelled to flee, but, finally, after sub- 
duing some of their nearer and weaker neighbors, 
they gained courage and strength to face their 
old enemy, whom they, in turn, subdued and 
forced to flee. 

Soon after, the French arrived at Quebec and 
accompanied the Adirondacks in an expedition 
against the Iroquois. The French and Indian 
Wars were well under way. They continued, with 
intermissions, through many years, both parties 
undergoing alternations of victory and defeat, 
and in the distress of the Iroquois the Mohawk 
white men shared. 

In February, 1665, the French and Indians imder 
Monsieur De Courcelles, Governor of Canada, who 
were well on their way, amid great privation and 
hardship incidental to their midwinter trip, re- 
solved to do damage to their Indian foes by a 
blow directed at Albany. Misled by their guide 
and in great distress, they were obliged to throw 
themselves on Schenectady for the succor which 
they received. 

In 1689, the Iroquois visited devastation upon 




The Site of Queen's Fort, Schenectady 
Photograph by A. J. White 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 41 

Canada, and now retaliation was hourly expected. 
Soon another army on snow-shoes started for 
Albany. 

Suffering severely, as on their abortive expedition 
of 1665. they finally decided to change the course 
and make Corlaer the object of their vengeance. 
Colonel Glen at his Scotia home had heard be- 
forehand of the approach of the French and dis- 
patched a squaw to warn the inhabitants, imder 
cover of selling brooms. On the afternoon of 
February 8, 1690, Dominie Tassomacher, it is said,, 
was being entertained with chocolate at the home 
of a charming widow of his parish, when the squaw 
unceremoniously entered. The sight of the snow 
upon her newly scrubbed floor aroused the indig- 
nation of the widow, who spoke sharply to her un- 
I expected and careless guest. In high dudgeon, the 
i Indian woman replied, "It will be soiled enough 
before to-morrow." It may be stated, however, 
that the above is but a bit of gossipy tradition. 

That night, at midnight, the town of Corlaer, 
enclosed within a rectangular waU, was entered by 
one of its two gates left open to the foe. A day 
of feasting, an hour of sleep, and it awoke to death. 
It la^' helpless at the mercy of two himdred and 
ten French and Indian foes, of whom eight\- were 
"Pra}-ing Indians" of Caughnawaga. Several — 
old people and children — were spared. A few 
others only escaped sword and flame and fled, 
half -clad, through the freezing cold to Albany. 
Alexander Lindsay Glen. Scotch by origin and 



42 The Historic Mohawk 

Dutch by adoption, one of the early and respected 
proprietors of the Schenectady Patent, who had 
named his home Scotia for the land of his birth, 
was remarkable for his kindness to white man and 
red alike. In days gone by, the Mohawks had once 
brought him a Jesuit, whom they had captured, 
that he might be locked in a closet and tortured in 
the morning. Although warned by Colonel Glen 
that Jesuits were witches who could escape through 
keyholes, they disregarded the statement, and 
themselves locked the closet with the proffered 
key. They gave themselves to drunken orgies 
for the night, to find in the morning their friend's 
prediction but too true. They did not suspect the 
existence of a duplicate key, or that the hogshead 
which had left the mansion in the morning for 
Albany contained — not salt, but a Frenchman. 
Now, therefore, on the morning after the massacre. 
Colonel Glen stood ready, at his Scotia home, to 
defend his family and himself, but he and they 
and home were spared for his kindness to the 
French priest of long ago. 

The little Dutch settlement of Schenectady 
was never again so wholly Dutch. Innumerable 
quaint articles were burned, many a family 
record was consigned to oblivion, and, except for 
a paragraph gathered here and there by chance, 
a most interesting chapter of Mohawk Valley 
history is sealed to the world. 

Albany 28 March, 1690. 
List of the Goods sent from York and received from 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 43 



Mons Jan Hendricksen Brujn and Johannes Proo- 
foost to be distributed among the Refugees of Schor- 
ncchtede, to wit — 

2348 X Dutch ells of Osenb: Linen 

3 p* Serge 

13 p" Stockings 

72 ells pennestout 
and delivered to the Deacons of Schomectede and 
the Deacons of Albany — 

Oh, the "List of the Linen distributed in the 
Bush (Woestine), " and the grand old Dutch names 
whose owners received "one pair of stockings" 
each! 

Schenectady rose from her ashes and by the 
early years of the next century was second in im- 
portance only to Albany. A busy little place it 
was, with its manufactures of sewant, and its 
boat-building, and its boys and girls, skilled in the 
Indian tongue, acting as interpreters, the canoes at 
handel tyde — June, July, and August — resting on 
the quiet waters, and the young men in the winter 
setting off with trinkets, blankets, and firewater 
to deal in the Indian trade. 

The streets of the Martyrs and of the Traders, 
of Front, Ferry, Church, and Niskayuna, were then 
in existence, and along them stood neat little houses 
patterned after the Albany style, a story or a 
story and a half in height, gable end to the street, 
adorned with sheet-iron weather-cocks, dates 
often inscribed in iron anchors upon the baked 
"steenen. " 



44 The Historic Mohawk 

Here on the porches, as at Albany, the family 
often gathered at the evening tide. 

Here were the swelling ovens at the kitchen 
rear and the double doors shut at bottom so that 
the toddlers could n't get out and the light could 
get in. 

A scow ran from the foot of Ferry Street. 
State Street was Souder Hook and Launt hauck 
was the Land Gate, while Calvyres wastyea (Calves' 
pasture) lay between Front Street and the river. 

Up to the time of the Revolution, old Dutch 
expressions were preserved in the Dutch settle- 
ments clustered around the lower Mohawk. Then 
baked stone was "gebakken steen, " negro slaves 
were "de negen slaaven," com was "koorn," 
doors were " deuren, " and the people said " Gooden 
morgen" or ''Hoe vaart giy!" 

Discreetly, of a pleasant summer afternoon, the 
good dames having cleared away the midday meal, 
attired themselves in their best homespun, or, 
it might be, silk, and in high-heeled slippers and 
blue and white gored hose, stepped daintily out 
to the home of the good wife who had invited them 
to tea. They wore short skirts, high caps, and 
bodices with work-bags fastened to their belts 
and scissors also suspended therefrom. 

The hour of arrival was shortly after noon, and 
even now the good dames were not idle. Spin- 
ning and knitting served pleasantly to employ 
the time, while busy tongues were as usefully 
engaged in domestic lore until in due season the 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 45 



nice round table standing primly let down beside 
the wall was brought into place and into use, the 
table-board elevated into position. The finest 
linen table-cloth was now spread, and pewter cups, 
saucers, and plates were arranged confidingly 
around the central steaming dishes, while the dear, 
quaint old caps of our Dutch grandmas soon com- 
pleted a circle in response to the invitation " Come, 
Vrouwlay, sit yully baye. " 

All this Mr. Toll describes in his Narrative of 
Schenectady, as well as the sugar bowl in the centre, 
the plate of dried beef, the dish of pot-cheese, the 
"kmllers," "olakoeks," and "wauffles," with 
the lump of maple sugar beside each plate, and 
the maid who passed around the circle with a 
teapot of tea in one hand and of hot water in the 
other, to be scolded in choice Dutch if any were 
poured where it did not belong. At the close of 
the meal, out were brought the snuff-boxes and 
daintily tapped, after which the good vrouws took 
liberal pinches therefrom. 

The hour of four or five witnessed the depart- 
ure that home duties might not suffer, and if there 
were not a tall Dutch clock in the comer to tell 
the time, there were not wanting dames who could 
tell the hour by the sun. 

Attractive, too, were the holiday evenings at 
the hospitable mansion of Colonel Sanders, with 
the good cheer and the after-dinner dance and the 
black fiddler standing on a chair. 

In regard to the earliest educational oppor- 



46 The Historic Mohawk 

tunities of the day, it is known that the first 
school in Schenectady was under the direction of 
Dominie Peter Tassomacher, the pastor of the 
First Dutch Church. 

An interesting bill of later date has been handed 
down to us and is here appended: 

Mr. Jno. J. vSchermerhorn to Thos. Neilson Dr 

£ s d 
schooling 2 children from ye 17th April 

1738 to ye 21 November, being 7 months 187 

Schooling 2 children from ye 21st April 

1739 to ye last December Being 8 mo I 13 4 

2 Psalters 5 



3 6 II 



Abatement for ye children Being at 

Home at Harvest 611 



£300 

The account was properly audited, as witness 
the following : 

Schenectady ye mo March 1739-40. There ap- 
peared before me Nicholas Schuyler Esq. one of his 
Majesties justices of ye Peace for ye County of 
Albany, ye above Thomas Neilson and made oath on 
ye Holy evangeHst of Almighty God that yc above 
acct according to the best of his knowledge is a just 
and Fair account Jurat Corma made. 

Thos. Neilson. 
Nich. Schuyler. 

On the reverse side of which is : 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 47 

Reed from Mr. C. Schcrmerhorn three pounds New 
York Currency, Being the full Contents of the Acct, 
on the other side, and is in full of Dets, Accts and 
Derhands Whatsoever to this 24th March, 1739-40. 
I say reed by me Thos. Neilson. 

Witnesseth 

Anna Wendol 
£300 

Very early in their history the good people of 
Schenectady effected a church organization and 

The Commissaryes of Schanechtade made appli- 
cation to the Governor — at a Council Held in New 
Yorke September the 6th 1678 that the fifth plaine 
or fflatt Land on the other side of the Maques River 
may be disposed of for a Minist' Reader &c. 

A house of worship was erected by 1684 through 
the generosity of Alexander Lindsay Glen, and 
even before that the congregation had received 
some pastoral service at the hands of the Rev. 
Gideon Schaets, who journeyed thither from 
Albany for that purpose once in three months. 
The first pastor, regularly called in 1682 or there- 
about, was the Rev. Petrus Thessenmaecker, who 
perished in the terrible massacre of 1690. The 
confusion prevailing for some years thereafter 
prevented the resumption of services until 1694, 
from which time the Rev. Godfriedus Dellius of 
Albany supp ied the people of Schenectady, at 
intervals, for five years. 

In 1 701, a subscription was started for a second 



48 The Historic Mohawk 

church to replace the first. This church was 
completed by 1703 and is supposed to have been 
of stone. 

In 1700, the accomplished Rev. Bernardus Free- 
man became the second regular pastor, whose 
first bill for services is here inserted. 

Aug 25, 1700 

16 mar 1700 to 25 aug the Consistory is indebted to 
Dominie Freeman. 

For current salary from the 16 march to the 25th 
of august is five months and nine days and amounts 
to a sum of fifty pounds and something more, — is 
in sewant gl 2000 

Also expenses incurred on the voyage in fresh 
provisions, wine, brandy, vegetables and hens, be- 
sides about three weeks expenses on the Isle of Wight 
is the sum of gl 3.74 

Schenectady — Barnhardus Freeman 
Whole amt $296.75 

The reverend gentleman was not without his 
troubles, for the minutes of the Common Council 
held in Albany, September 3, 1700, record: 

The Church wardens of Shinnechtady doe make 
application that two persons be appointed to go 
around among the inhabitants of the Citty to see if 
they can obtain any Contribution to make up ye 
Sellary due their minister. 

Dominie Thos. Brouwer who took charge of 
the parish July, 17 14, received a yearly salary of 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 49 

forty lbs., dwelling free of rent, firewood at the 
door, a large garden and free pasture for two cows 
and a horse. 

Rev. Reinhardus Erichson who was called 
March 30, 1728, was offered the equivalent of 
$250 in salary, a well-conditioned parsonage, a 
garden "kept in a fence," pasturage for two cows 
and a horse, and firewood at the door. During 
his pastorate the Third Dutch church of Schenec- 
tady was built. 

As to the legal customs of the time we might say 
that Schenectady of those days was a part of 
Albany County, and an interesting act of Legis- 
lature was passed during the winter of 1702-03, 
"that the breed of wolves in this colony may be 
wholly rooted out and extinguished," The price 
paid in that county for a full-grown wolf killed by 
"either Christians or Indians" was ten shillings. 
A whelp brought one-half that price. 

We append two other interesting items of the 
period: 

Schoneghtendie April 5, 1735 
Then received from Symon Veder, town treasurier, 
the yust and full sume of tre Shilling Corant mony, 
itt beeing for my Negroo worcks that he has Done for 
whipping the negro need in this town. 
j said Received by Mee 

Arent Brat. 

Schoneghtendie April 18, 1727 
then Reced by me, from Symon Veder, treasurier 
the ful and yust sum of forty two pound 10 Shiling 



50 The Historic Mohawk 

Corant monny of the Colleny of niew Yorck, for my 
sallery as assemblman for the sd town for the last 
year. 

Said Reced by mee 

Karel Haensen Toll 

There exist some reminders of the Dutch period 
in several buildings still preserved. There is the 
Van Guysling homestead at the present Rotter- 
dam, believed by some to have been built as 
early as 1664 and possibly antedating the Mabie 
House. There is the Bradt house, an ancient 
building of brick, of the date of 1736. There is 
part of one of the buildings of Schermerhome 
Mills, dating from 171 5 or thereabout, and there is 
Johannes Peek's house, erected in 171 1. 

The Mabie House, built by Jan Mabie, a Hol- 
lander, in 1689, a stone structure, still stands, a 
worthy memorial of the past, with its tiny panel 
windows and double doors. Six miles from Schen- 
ectady, it escaped by its distance the destructive 
raid of 1690, and is, in all probability, the oldest 
house in the Mohawk Valley. 

The Glen-Sanders mansion, at Scotia, beauti- 
fully situated on the north bank of the Mohawk, 
is standing, with its double doors and the date of 
erection, 1713, anchored in iron on its sides. A 
notable edifice is this, still in possession of the old- 
time family of its owners — a veritable museum of 
antiquity, furnished from cellar to garret with 
strongly built, elegant furniture two centuries 
old. 




■f. - 



O 6fl 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 51 

Actuated by the same motives, sprung of the 
same blood, other Albany Dutch had left their 
fostering mother and located in the neighborhood 
of Schenectady at about the same time. " Co-nis- 
ti-gio-no" — extensive comflats — is given as the 
origin of the name Niskayuna, applied to a settle- 
ment in the vicinity. At this point was early 
erected a school-house, used on Sundays for 
divine service and known as a Galat House or 
Prayer-house. By 1760 they had established a 
church modelled after the fashion of the times, 
with a gallery opposite the pulpit, raised benches 
below along the sides for the men, and seats in the 
centre for women. 

In reference to early patents and grants we 
know that the half-breed woman, lUetje Van 
Olinde, was given by the Indians the "great 
island at Niskayuna" in 1667, and at Albany is 
recorded, March 4, 1682: 

Rhode, Sachem of the first Mohawk Castle Sagod- 
dioquisax Sachem of the second Castle and Todoairse, 
in place of his grandfather, the late Caniachkor sell in 
presence of the other Mohawk Sachems to Jan Man- 
gelse, a piece of woodland near Canastyione on the 
other side of the river stretching up the river from the 
upper end of the land of Claesen Van Budhoven at a 
tree marked with the mark of Harman Vedder and 
Barent Ryndertsen and running along the river over 
a Kil called by the Indians Otskondaraogoo, included 
in the sale, to a large oak tree, marked by the Indians 
and Jan Mangelse's mark and stretching up the 



52 The Historic Mohawk 

woods as far as Jan Mangelse or his heirs shall have 
occasion to use it. 

At about the same time as the settlement of 
Niskayuna occurred that of Waterford and part 
of Half-Moon. 

At Beverwyck, May 2^, 1664, 

Philipp Pieterse Schuyler and Goosen Gerretsen 
Van Shaick, residents of the village of Beverwyck 
Mahikanders 

filed a petition to be permitted to purchase from 
the Indians lands on which certain "English of 
Connecticut" were casting covetous eyes. This 
petition was granted and the purchase was known 
as the Van Shaick or Half-Moon patent. 

The parts first to be cultivated were Van 
Shaick's, Cohoes or Adams Island, and Havre 
Island. Here, before the later i6oo's, farms had 
been established. In 1677, a transfer had already 
been made and Jacobse Van Nourstrandt had 
bought of the widow of Mr. Van Shaick, Havre 
(Oat) Island, called by the Indians "Malhahen- 
dach," and a part of Half -Moon. The worth of a 
bear skin was about three dollars, and sixty-seven 
of these furs or their equivalent in grain or cattle 
was to be the price of the land. 

The beginnings of Troy may be traced in the 
purchase made in 1659 from the Indians of a 
Great Meadow between Poesten Kil and Meadow 
Creek — all now covered by the present city. The 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 53 

death of Wemp in 1637 and the remarriage of his 
widow to Sweer Teunise Van Velsen caused the 
latter to come into possession of the above prop- 
erty in 1667. By judicious purchases from the 
Wilden the manor of Rensselaer gradually exten- 
ded its limits until including more than twenty-one 
miles, of which the site of old Troy is known on 
the map as "Parfraets' Dael. " It was named 
for Maria Parfraets, afterward Van Rensselaer, 
mother of the patroon, although another render- 
ing interprets the words as the " Paradise of a lazy 
man." In 1720, there were confirmed to Derich 
Vander Heyden four hundred and ninety acres, 
including the present Troy, at a yearly quit-rent 
of "three and one-quarter bushels of wheac and 
four fat hens." 

The land on which stands the city of Cohoes, 
once belonging to the manor of Rensselaerwyck, 
had been purchased from the Indians as early as 
1630, a line running east and west through the 
Falls of Cohoes marking the northern border of 
the manor. Settlers from Niskayuna, Waterford, 
and Albany colonized the district early in the 
1700's. The land north of the manor line was 
granted by the Indians to Mrs. lUetje Van Slyck 
Van Olinde, a half-breed. One generation later 
Daniel Van Olinde, her son, sold to Walran Clute 
a plot of more than one hundred acres with the 
right to build one or more "Saw Mills or Grind 
Mills and to Ly Dams." 

This was done: "In consideration of fourty- 



54 The Historic Mohawk 

two pounds of currant Lawfull money of New 
Yorke." 

The Cohoes Falls, of whose beauty we can dream 
before factories disfigured the banks and drew 
off the waves, and when protecting forests skirted 
Mohawk waters, were greatly admired by early 
travellers. One of the first to visit them was 
"Dominie" Megapolensis, who settled in Albany 
in 1642. He described the waters, "as clear as 
crystal and as fresh as milk," and spoke of the 
rainbow that spanned them from shore to shore, 
the denizens of countless fish, and the three- 
pronged instruments with which the Indians drew 
them up. 

It is said that the name "Cahoos" signifies 
"little hollows" (cradle holes), but another deri- 
vation pretty generally adopted is "Gahaoose" 
supposed to mean "shipwrecked canoe." 

Of the Dutch settlers of the Hudson and Mo- 
hawk it has been said : 

Among Hollanders it was always a cardinal princi- 
ple to live within one's means. * 

Every man spent less than he had coming in, be 
that what it would, and he would be thought to have 
lived a year to no purpose who had not realized a sum 
to lay by at the end of it." 

The children of such ancestors were well fitted to 

' Brodhead's History of New York State, vol. i., p. 462. 
' Ibid., p. 462. 




5f -^ 






a 

u 

S£ 

o 

o 



Early Dutch and their Settlements 55 

act an important part in the great work of opening 
the continent of America to the civilization of Europe. 
They added no ignoble ingredient to the Union's 
blended masses. ' 

The emigrants who first explored the coast and 
reclaimed the soil of New Netherland and bore the 
flag of Holland to the wigwams of the Iroquois were 
generally bluff, plain-spoken, earnest yet unpresump- 
tuous men who spontaneously left their native land 
to better their condition and bind another province 
to the United Netherlands. They brought over the 
liberal ideas and honest maxims and homely virtues 
of their country. They introduced their churches, 
their schools, their dominies and their schoolmasters. 
They carried along with them their huge clasped 
Bibles and left them heirlooms in their families.* 

Nowhere among the people of the United States 
can now be found excelling in honesty, industry or 
accomplishments the posterity of the early Dutch 
settlers in New Netherland.^ 

From Spafford's Gazetteer: 

As the Dutch were the original proprietors and 
first colonists, so their numbers were the greatest, as 
were their possessions also, and the most valuable. 
No foreign emigrants selected for richness of soil 
with so much care, and next in this respect were the 
Germans. Nor have any others preserved their 
ancient possessions entire in the line of posterity 

' Brodhead, vol. i., p. 747. 
' Ibid., p. 748. 
J Ibid., p. 750. 



56 The Historic Mohawk 

as those, nor their distinct national manners and 
habits. 

It would not be difficult to lengthen greatly 
this list of compliments paid by their admirers 
to the early Dutch settlers, but we would not be 
one-sided. Let us, therefore, remark that genera- 
tions ago the poet Dryden said of the people of 
the "Land of the Dykes": 

Well may they boast themselves an ancient nation; 
For they were bred ere manners were in fashion. 

The Dutch are naturally conservative in the 
extreme, and somewhat suspicious of strangers, 
and our Albany fathers were sometimes criticised 
as unsocial — by those who had not made their 
acquaintance. 

A visitor at Albany (Kalm) in 1749 remarks that 
"the women were sometimes pretty, but awk- 
ward," and that their husbands were apt to 
address to them scarcely thirty words a day. We 
do not for a moment doubt, however, that it was a 
considerable compensation to one of these good 
women that, as the stranger adds, her husband, 
when not actively employed at out-of-door tasks, 
remained always in her society, and when he 
did open his mouth, he never omitted to say 
"My love." 



CHAPTER III 



THE PALATINES 



WHILE the Hollander was fighting his battles 
for freedom and extending his dominion and 
enlarging his powers by industry and enterprise, 
his quiet German neighbor was cultivating the vine 
and gathering crops on the banks of his beloved 
Rhine, that uncertain boundary between Germany 
and France, — a region which Louis XIV always 
earnestly hoped to call his own. In this district 
the Protestant faith early found a home. Here 
flourished alike the Lutheran church and the 
Dutch Reformed, and in 1685, on the revocation 
of the Edict of Nantes, thither, as to Holland, 
many Huguenot French fled for refuge. Louis 
ravaged the country with fire and sword. In 
the same year, on the death of the Elector Charles, 
another pretext came for war. Louis claimed the 
throne for his brother, whose wife was the dead 
man's sister. In 1688, the French monarch gave 
shelter to the deposed James II and supported 
his claim to the British throne. England and 
Holland entered the Grand Alliance against 
France. The persecuted Palatinate suffered in 

57 



58 The Historic Mohawk 

blood and fire, as the beautiful Rhine-bordering 
ruins to-day attest. War lasted nine years. On 
its heels came that of the Spanish succession, 
which endured for twelve. Marching against 
these foes, the armies of France made highways 
through the land of the Palatines, destruction ever 
in their wake. The conflict terminated in 1713. 

One year was specially marked in the annals 
of renewed desolation, when, at the hands of an 
army commanded by Marshal Villars, such 
scenes of carnage were renewed as had rendered 
1688 memorable. This was the year 1707. 

In 1708, arrived the first of the stream of emi- 
gration to visit England, — haviag been transported 
from Holland, whither they first made their way. 
In 1709, the second swarm appeared — for swarm 
it was — from the parent hive. By October 
there were thirteen thousand poor Palatines adrift 
upon London, — a wretched stream of humanity, — 
and penniless. With memorable kindliness Eng- 
land met the emergency. She housed the home- 
less in tents. Her citizens erected shelters, — they 
fed the starving masses and considered measures 
for their future good. Ireland received a detach- 
ment, and we hear with pride that at Munster, 
their new home, they preserved the traditions of 
their fatherland, led honest and upright lives and 
that their thrifty habits had brought them wealth. 
The Carolinas and Virginia received their quota, 
worthily represented by their descendants of to- 
day. 



The Palatines 59 

There is a story, probably well grounded in 
truth. At the time when Peter Schuyler, then 
Mayor of Albany, and Colonel Nicholson visited 
London to urge the need of more adequate defence 
against the French and their Indian allies, they 
were accompanied by five Mohawk chieftains. 
The Palatines were then in the city. It is said 
that the hearts of the swarthy warriors were 
touched, and that they offered the Queen for the 
suffering people a grant of their land in Schoharie. 

However this may be, it is certain that the 
detachment which in 17 10, under the leadership of 
Governor Hunter, sailed for the Empire State had 
always in mind the promised land in the valley of 
Schoharie. After a voyage of suffering and many 
deaths, the remnant was quartered for five 
months longer upon Nutten Island, that being 
adjudged "the proper place" to harbor them. 

It is well here to take passing notice of these 
" poor people, " whose immense hordes, thus 
miserably dependent upon charity, were cast 
upon the mercy of the new-found world. Poor 
and helpless though they may have been, those 
of us who count among our ancestors members 
of this desolate company, may remember that 
theirs was not the poverty of shiftless beggary. 
Thrifty land-owners they had been at home, 
driven by might but not by right from happy 
homes in beautiful hamlets along the Rhine. 
Like the Huguenots and the Pilgrims, like the 
Dutch in by-gone years, they were the victims of 



6o The Historic Mohawk 

religious persecution, living martyrs to the free- 
dom of their faith. 

For this hapless body of people, England was 
to find a home. Housed, clothed, and victualled 
imtil able to support themselves, they were to be 
settled on the banks of the Hudson and Mohawk 
rivers, there to manufacture great stores of tar 
for the use of the English navy and the commerce 
of the world. Thus were they to repay the ex- 
pense of which they had been the cause. Incident- 
ally they were to serve as a much needed barrier 
against the Canadian French and their Indian 
allies. 

The Palatines entered into a covenant with 
their English patrons to perform the above service. 
The covenant begins : 

Whereas wee the underwritten Persons Natives of 
the Lower Palatinate of the Rhine have been sub- 
sisted, maintained and supported ever since our 
Arrival in this Kingdom. . . . 

For this purpose they were presently removed 
from Nutten Island and settled at Livingston 
Manor, and Governor Hunter, November 14, 1710, 
proclaims that he has planted them in five vil- 
lages "upon good lands on both sides of Hudson's 
Run about one hundred miles up, adjacent to 
the Pines" to be ready for work in the spring, 
but their hearts were not in the making of tar. 
They compared themselves to the Hebrews in the 
land of Egypt and they loved not the house of 




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The Palatines 6i 

bondage in the Livingston Manor. They longed 
for "Schorie," the promised land. But that, said 
Governor Hunter, was not for them — for the 
present, at least. "For the present," they 
acquiesced. 

Of the temper of the people we may judge from 
a remnant of conversation of a group of men 
seated around the fire of an evening. 

Said one: "Here we have peace, but cannot 
earn our bread." Said another, "Earn our bread! 
We came to America to establish our families, 
to secure lands for our children on which they will 
be able to support themselves after we die, and 
that we cannot do here." As for the second 
purpose, they acceded cheerfully enough. They 
readily enlisted for military service and served 
when required. They were made of fighting 
stuff, as they afterward proved. 

The truth is, the fugitives were no sooner 
located in Livingston Manor than the English 
forgot them. They did not send them to Scho- 
harie, they did not supply the full quota of pro- 
visions, — they did not fulfil their part of the 
contract. The Palatines had no inspiration for 
their tasks. Later, when promised one half the 
proceeds, they were more contented. But, natur- 
ally, their needs incompletely supplied, the enter- 
prise did not prosper. Governor Hunter, good 
man that he was, ruined himself to aid them, 
unrequited, so far as we can learn, by the British 
government. Ever loyal to the English, small 



62 The Historic Mohawk 

wonder that he became at last embittered against 
the "poor Palatines," who were not enthusiastic 
over his great designs, but replied ever to his 
lectures on their discontent that they would go to 
"Schorie. " Documents still in existence speak 
eloquently of the troubles of the poor Palatines 
at this period and of Robert Livingston's efforts 
to provide for them. 

That the Palatines were already doing their 
part in leadership against the French and Indians 
of Canada may be seen from the list of men en- 
rolled in an expedition against Canada as early as 
171 1, also from the following bill: 

Albany 15th august 171 1 
Received then of Johanis Ten Eyck Twenty one 
Thousand nine hundred and Twenty four pounds 
bread, sent with us by George Clark Esq' on her 
Maj" account for yuis of the Land Forces in the 
present expeditions against Canada. 

Wittness our hands it being as is mentioned in ye 
bill of Leading, but not weighed b}' us. 

Kil"" Rensellaer. 

Still the settlers at Livingston Manor were 
dissatisfied. Deep at the root of the failure of 
the enterprise lay a great mistake, simply this — 
the land was not fitted for the work. Two years 
— a long time for distressed colonists — were needed 
to prepare the trees for their designated use and in 
the end the trees were not of a kind adapted for 
that use. Such might have been better found 



The Palatines 63 

in the Southern States. So the undertaking failed 
at last, and the settlers were told that they might 
shift for themselves. Those unfitted for further 
adventure stayed their steps and made for them- 
selves homes where best they might, the rest 
made straight for Schoharie. Here, through the 
winter, owing to the kind offices of the Indians, 
they found subsistence and in the spring sowed 
their seeds and enjoyed the beginnings of prosper- 
ity in the promised land, v/hich, alas! was not 
yet theirs. 

Although to Governor Hunter's inquiry why 
the colonists went to Schoharie, they sensibly 
replied that they were told to shift for them- 
selves and had to go somewhere, he was not satis- 
fied. He granted to other enterprising spirits 
patents of the land of the Schoharie, legal patents 
against which the grant of the Indians and the 
verbal promise of the Queen were of no avail. 
Stubbornly the German settlers clung to the soil, 
and to save themselves from starvation, planted 
and sowed, — until might once more prevailed 
over right and they were driven from their homes. 
A portion elected to remain in Schoharie. They 
rented the land which should have been theirs, and 
by industry and thrift became possessed of the 
wherewithal to buy and cultivate their own and, 
finally, to wrest victory from defeat. 

In the race at large the spirit of liberty was too 
strong to be subdued. They would have their 
rights or nothing. To the generous, noble land 



64 The Historic Mohawk 

of William Penn many of them went and thither 
in after years their German countrymen in their 
migrations followed them, never again making 
port in the harbor of New York, with the excep- 
tion of the ship of 1722, which brought among 
others en route for the Mohawk Valley, the family 
of the Herkimers. 

Of all the Palatine settlers at Schoharie, one 
third turned their steps to the Mohawk Valley. 
There they received patents and were at rest. 

General Burnet, in November, 1722, purchased 
from the Mohawk Indians land for the Palatines. 
He says in a letter to the Board of Trade dated 
October 16, 1721: 

I did intend to settle the Palatines as far as I could 
in the middle of our Indians, but finding they could 
not be brought to that, I have granted their own re- 
quest, which was to purchase of the nearest Indians, 
who are the Mohawks, which I had yielded them with 
the condition that it is not nearer than a fall in the 
Mohawk River which is forty miles above Fort Hunter 
and fourscore from Albany, by which the frontier 
will be so much extended and these people seem very 
well pleased and satisfied with what I have done and 
as a proof of it all that did live in a lawless manner 
before on the land at Schoharie, which had been 
granted to other proprietors have now actually taken 
leave from them and allotted tenants to them. 

This land was situated on the Canada Creek 
and proved of value to the settlers because it 




East Canada Creek 
Photograph by Penny 



The Palatines 65 

secured for them the lesser carrying-place at the 
present Little Falls. 

The patent called the Burnetsfield Patent was 
granted April 30, 1725, and the allotted farms ran 
back from the river in narrow strips, one hundred 
acres each — thirty acres near the river, seventy 
acres on the hills; two shillings sixpence an- 
nually was the rent before the patent was granted, 
— two years after the arrival of the patentees. 
The patent took in the lands on both sides of the 
river from Little Falls to Ganondagaron, the 
vicinity of the present village of Frankfort. 

In the spring of 1723, the sturdy yeomen with 
their rude luggage ascended the river in bateaux 
cut from hollow trees, pushing aside the over- 
hanging bushes, dragging their boats over the 
carrying-places, stopping in rude camps at night. 
Arrived, they cut the trees and reared their homes 
and waited for the straw to thatch them, till the 
harvesting of the stUl unplanted grain. 

A similar patent to the above was given at 
Stone Arabia, October 19, 1723, comprising 12,700 
acres. This was granted to the heads of twenty- 
seven Palatine families. Deeds were also given 
by Mohawk sachems, one of date July 9, 1722, 
at about which time there was some settlement 
in the vicinity of the present Palatine Church. 
From time to time, discontented dwellers from 
Schoharie added themselves to their brethren on 
the Mohawk, and the ship of 1722 from Holland 
also undoubtedly added its quota of Palatine 



66 The Historic Mohawk 

refugees, who found homes, sooner or later, in our 
beautiful valley. 

In the hunting-grounds of the Mohawks and 
amid their Indian castles and the clearings of their 
Holland neighbors, the Palatines planted their 
churches, their schools, and their homes. Amid 
the Canajoharie and Schenectady of the Indians 
and the Amsterdam and Rotterdam of the Dutch- 
men, rose the Manheim and the Palatine Bridge 
and the Palatine Church of to-day. 

This "stubborn and seditious people, " stubborn 
like the Puritans, stubborn like the Huguenots, 
some of whose blood, no doubt, flowed in their 
veins, seditious as they showed themselves in the 
War of the Revolution, in the cause of right, were 
at least contented, industrious. God-fearing, and 
brave. It is pleasant to note that, much as the 
presence of the inflowing masses of Palatines was 
feared by many in our then new country, they 
and their descendants, as a body, have given no 
cause for dissatisfaction in the quarters where 
they have made their homes, but that of many of 
them have been uttered words not dissimilar to 
those once used by Macaulay. 

Honest, laborious men, who had once been thrifty 
burghers of Manheim and Heidelberg, — and who had 
cultivated the vine on the banks of the Neckar and 
the Rhine. Their ingenuity and their diligence 
could not fail to enrich any land which should afford 
them an asylum. 



The Palatines 67 

Says Sanford H. Cobb, in his Story of the 
Palatines:^ 

As to the permanent influence of this Palatine 
immigration, it goes without saying that it was im- 
possible for such sturdiness of stock, such patient and 
firm persistence in the right, such capacity for 
endurance, and such buoyancy of hope, conjoined 
with such addiction to religion, to be absorbed into 
American life without a deep impress on the character 
of after generations. 

At peace with the red man, they lived among 
their neighbors, the Dutch, whose large infusion 
of Huguenot is also attested by the French char- 
acter of many old Dutch names. A slight 
antagonism existed, but in time it wore away. 
Intermarriages took place, and the two stubborn, 
seditious peoples became one people, as they 
worshipped one God, and were known thence- 
forward as the "Mohawk Dutch. " 

» Copyright, 1897, by G. P. Putnam's Sons. 



CHAPTER IV 

IN THE DAYS OF SIR WILLIAM — OUT-OF-DOOR LIFE 

THE Mohawk Valley was still the "Maquas' 
land. " Schenectady was the * ' place outside 
the door " ; Ga-ha-oose (Cohoes) , ' ' the shipwrecked 
canoe " ; Ga-na-wa-da (Fonda) , * ' over the rapids ' ' ; 
Ta-la-que-ga (Little Falls), "small bushes." Her- 
kimer was Te-uge-ga; Utica, Nun-da-da-sis (going 
around the hUl); Ole-hish was the "place of net- 
tles," and the portage at Rome was De-o-waim- 
sta, "place where boats are carried from one 
stream to another." The beaver dwelt in the 
grassy meadows and deer and antelope roamed the 
hills. 

The Mohawk River flowed broader and deeper 
in those early days. Unhewn forests protected 
its glassy surface from the beating sun. On the 
flat lands along the shore, for miles and miles, 
grew stretches of the Indian corn, of squashes, 
melons, and beans, and among them the patient 
squaw might often be seen at her task. The red 
fisherman, with his bone fish-hooks, stood upon its 
banks or shot across its surface in his birch-bark 
canoe. His wild cry still rang through the 

68 



In the Days of Sir William 69 

ancient forests and the- flying arrow still brought 
down the bounding deer. But among the ancient 
castles stood, here and there, a white man's home ; 
strange new figures strayed at will through the 
virgin forests and unfamiliar water craft glided 
noiselessly by. 

The white men of the valley numbered about 
fifteen hundred souls. The largest settlements 
then in existence were Schenectady, established 
by the Dutch; Fort Hunter, an English mission 
colony, and Canajoharie and German Flats, 
settled by the Palatines. Smaller villages were 
Crane's Village, German Flats, and Burnet's 
Field. Near all these settlements were Indian 
lodges, but the Indians still possessed larger 
villages more remote. 

Schenectady, once burned, had been rebuilt, 
and now stood, a taut little village, with a newly 
erected stone church, boasting a Holland-made 
bell. In fur trade it was still a rival of Albany, 
though the palmiest days of the fur trade were 
past. The bouwlandts yielded abundant harvest, 
and throughout the year the making of wampum 
had become a lucrative trade. Newly formed 
hamlets nearer the sources of the Mohawk had 
much traffic here as with a newer Albany. Many 
families derived support from the wampum manu- 
facture — a woman's work for one day varying 
from five to ten strings. 

The establishment of Fort Brewerton gave 
substantial aid to the finances of the early German 



70 The Historic Mohawk 

settlers in the vicinity of Fort Herkimer. A con- 
tract for supplies at the Fort was early awarded to 
Johan Jost Herkimer. In September, 1728, the 
records show : 

To John Jost Herkimer in full of two accounts for 
riding goods amounting to twenty-three pounds, 
five shillings and six pence, the sum of seventeen 
pounds, eleven shillings. 

At Fort Brewerton, the Indians were wont to 
meet in May and thither the canoes of the white 
settlers wended their way, to trade with the Five 
Nations in peace. 

In 1737, a similar contract was awarded to Henry 
Van Rensselaer, Jr., John Jost Herkimer, and 
Harmanus Wendell, the supplies stipulated for 
including many bushels of wheat, meal, pease, 
Indian corn, pounds of beef, sugar, and candles — 
not forgetting 104 gallons of rum, — also for 
Schenectady, brown biscuits, pease, pork, and 
rum. The latter supplies were intended for the 
sustenance of the returning troops as they stopped 
at that point and for the twenty -five men, with 
their physician, en route to their relief. It was 
in the bargain that the doctor and soldiers were 
to be furnished with bateaux enough to transport 
themselves and baggage. Indian helpers assisted 
in driving cattle and all service and supplies were 
well recompensed for 456 poimds ! 

The neighbors of the large contractors found 



In the Days of Sir William 71 

market for their produce in eking out the latter's 
supplies, and heightened prosperity resulted. 

The earliest water transportation was by canoe; 
but, about 1737, bateaux began to take their place. 
Three or four handed (propelled by three or four 
men), they carried loads of provisions or cargoes of 
Indian wares. Where rapids were encountered 
or at the small rifts along the river the boatmen 
used large poles to force these boats upward, 
while rope pulling by others on shore served to 
complete the task. When, as at Little Falls, 
this feat was impossible, ox-wagons, with narrow- 
rimmed wheels were used to transport the mer- 
chandise, boats and all. The poles used are 
described as eighteen to twenty feet in length with 
a large knob at the upper end to support the 
weight of the hand and tipped, each, with a sharp 
iron provided with a twenty-pound socket. These 
poles were early on sale at convenient places 
along the shore and the transportation of boats 
around the carrying places gave further employ- 
ment to burghers of the present Herkimer. 

At this time, also, quaint old ferry-boats (scows 
propelled by poles) crossed the river at wide, 
travelled points for the transportation of horses 
and vehicles. Still, for ordinary purposes, the 
white man used the canoe, and the red man, 
with fleets of them, dropped down the river in 
the trading season. 

In those days the sturdy native stalked in dig- 
nity along the beaten paths of his fathers carrying 



']2 The Historic Mohawk 

to Albany his burden of beaver skins. The trail 
was clearly marked by the footprints of genera- 
tions of the sons of the forest. Even the hard 
rocks on its coiirse were worn smooth by attrition ; 
and totem signs still made picturesquely wild the 
trees along the path. On a journey he would 
take maize and a kettle, wooden bowl and spoon 
packed and hung on his back. At Albany, near 
the north gate and inside a wall of stockades, he 
undid his pack. Away back to 1691 may be 
traced this trade with the Dutch, to those days 
when. Dominie Magapolensis tells us, turkeys and 
deer came to the houses for food, so abimdant 
were they, and could be bought of the natives for 
a "loaf of bread, a knife, or even a tobacco pipe." 
A beaver skin was worth $1 .00 per pound and that 
of an average otter, entire, about $6.00. The 
only money in use, save a very occasional coin, 
was wampum. Four guilders, among the Dutch, 
1 65)^ c, was the equivalent of one string of 
wampum one fathom long. A string about one 
foot in length was worth I2>^ c. 

Barter, for the most part, prevailed. Skins of 
the beaver and otter, Indian brooms, venison, 
ginseng, and medicinal roots, — these the red man 
offered in exchange. 

Near Albany, and Schenectady, too, his little 
villages were to be found and, wandering forth 
from these, he offered for sale belts of wampum, 
finely carved wooden dishes, ladles, spoons, trays, 
splint brooms and basket work, and beautiful 



In the Days of Sir William 73 

bits of embroidery and deerskin in moccasins and 
garters. 

The autumn-tide served for his fishing days 
and times of peace. It was then that his council 
fires made blue the air with the Indian summer 
haze. It was then that he wove his baskets of 
twigs and fashioned his pottery of clay and his 
arrowheads of flint. 

Winter and spring were the trapping seasons. 
In June, July, and August he brought his goods 
over trail and river for sale. These three months 
were " handel-tyde " and then at Schenectady 
fleets of Indian canoes brightened the placid 
waters. 

To intercept the native or to visit the Indian 
villages for trade, the Dutch bos-loper followed 
the same beaten paths, his little pack-horse 
trudging on land, or his canoe skimming the waters 
of the Mohawk, loaded for trade, with strouds, 
duffels and trinkets, powder, guns, beads, and 
rum. 

When the Albany lad became a youth he one 
day asked his father for a little money, a canoe, and 
a negro slave. At about the same time he learned 
to smoke, by way of protection against the insects 
with which the forests abounded. His faithful 
slave at his side, he performed the journey to 
Canada, with no other provisions than a little 
corn-meal or dried beef, depending upon his 
trusty rifle for abundant supplies of game. 

No less striking a figure, along the same trail, 



74 The Historic Mohawk 

was the " Black Gown, " as the Indians called him, 
— the Jesuit, in his close-fitting black robe and 
cassock, coming first as prisoner or danger-en- 
veloped emissary from the Canadian French, in 
later days as more acceptable missionary of the 
cross, ready in early days or late to endure hard- 
ship, privation, martyrdom — death — if so be he 
might by any means snatch a soul as a brand 
from the burning by the baptismal drop openly or 
surreptitiously applied to the forehead of the 
pestilence-stricken Mohawk warrior, the dying 
papoose or the tortured prisoner writhing in the 
flames. 

Along the old Indian trails, too, roamed the 
burly hunter in search of game, or the picturesque 
trapper in fur cap, round coat, a belt from which 
hung his bullet-pouch and under which were 
fastened, on the left, his knife and hatchet. A 
powder-horn hung suspended from his right arm; 
a bimdle of steel traps dangled from his left. 

Thus arrayed, he set his traps for the un- 
suspecting beavers, whose skins he finally trans- 
ported by means of a patient little pack-horse to 
the waiting canoe. Skilled in forest lore was the 
trapper. Ready with rifle and fish-hook must 
he be, ready at kindling with flint the fire on which 
were cooked with his own horny hands the savory 
meals of venison steaks and forest trout ; and a dog 
of tried ability and unfailing skill was usually his 
inseparable friend. 

Upon the back of the trapper was strapped a 



In the Days of Sir William 75 

pack containing, possibly, more traps, a few sim- 
ple cooking utensils and a little Indian meal and 
salt. When he reached a stopping place in his 
journey he set up two crotched sticks, covering 
them with poles and boughs and forming himself a 
temporary shelter from the weather, the insects, 
and the beasts. 

Apropos of all this, we leam from Mr. Kalm, 
a writer of the period that there were "gnats be- 
tween Albany and Canada" and that faces 
smeared with grease, caps over foreheads and 
gauze before eyes and papers wrapped under 
stockings, with fires at entrance of tents, were 
some of the means employed to ward off the 
forest foes. The trapper was prepared, if need be, 
to cut his way through unbroken woods, endure 
the stings of insects, kindle fires to ward off the 
attacks of wolves, to ascertain the proximity of 
water by the nature of the growing plants and, in 
the absence of compass and the unclouded sun, 
to tell by the want of moss on one side of the tree 
which was the north. It was needful that he be 
as well versed in human nature as in the geography 
of the Indian villages, the state of the currents, 
the winds, and the markets. 

Well laden with cargo, he returned to offer at 
the marts of Albany and Schenectady the same 
order of goods, namely, furs, that the Indians had 
brought in canoe fleets from Oneida Lake and 
with which the Dutch bos-lopers came laden from 
the up-country trade. 



76 The Historic Mohawk 

In those days the Dutch and British sold to 
the inland Indians for wampum many trinkets and 
they bartered these for furs. Of the Indian was 
still true what was said of him by Mr. Van Shaick 
in 1696. 

The goods which the Indians put the highest value 
and esteem upon are sleighs, Liege guns, powder, 
lead, strouds, red and blew blankets, duffels, woolen 
stockings, red, blew and white, and small brass 
kettles. 

Such goods as these the Dutch traders carried 
into the interior besides such attractive trifles 
as knives, looking-glasses, pipes, keys, axes, 
buckles, chains, bracelets, and similar articles of 
utility or ornament. 

John Kast is known to have opened trade 
with the Indians at Oswego as early as 1720. 
The houses of these earliest traders were built 
after the Indian style. 

It was in 1738 that a young Irishman ascended 
the Hudson, stopped for a night at Schenectady, 
made exit through its northern gate, pushed his 
way through the "Woestine, " ever northward, 
to find his goal in the Mohawk Valley, in the 
vicinity of the present Amsterdam. In him we 
recognize the face and figure of Sir William John- 
son, a man destined to bear an important part in 
making the history of the valley. 

A poor boy, disappointed in love, he sought this 
country, an agent entrusted with the property of 




I 



; -i . rj 




Statue of Sir William Johnson 
Photograph by Eaton 



In the Days of Sir William T] 

his uncle, Sir Peter Warren, upon the Mohawk 
River. Near Amsterdam he built a home under 
whose roof was included a store, and took as 
companion, later as wife, Catharine Weisenberg. 
Within three years thereafter he built the grand 
and gloomy building afterwards known as Fort 
Johnson, of the present Akin, and near it he 
erected a grist-mill. 

Here Sir William was wont to welcome his dark- 
hued brethren and to preside over them at the 
athletic games of which he was so fond. It was 
here that he brought Catharine Weisenberg, to be 
succeeded soon by Caroline, King Hendrick's 
niece, mother of his two daughters and of the 
half-breed William. After her death he sought the 
hand of Molly Brant, who had first attracted his 
attention when, sixteen years of age, she had 
sprung upon the back of an officer's steed and 
cantered, thus seated behind him, wildly round, 
her eyes dancing with excitement and her dark 
hair streaming in the wind. 

The grim, gray building of to-day is impressive 
amid its dark surroundings of trees, as it stands 
near the present railway station of the little 
village of Akin, — on the banks of the rocky 
Chuctenunda, its spacious halls and small panel 
windows stiU the same. There are two wide 
rooms in front, narrow ones in the rear, and the 
attic with its dormer windows looks down upon 
us, a quaint reminder of the past. 

"Mount" Johnson until 1735, the gloomy 



78 The Historic Mohawk 

structure was palisaded in 1755, and known as 
"Fort Johnson" thereafter. In 1742 was erected 
a grist-mill. In 1745, Sir William, having 
sold off in great lots much of his uncle's estate, 
was made commissioner of Indian affairs. Great 
became his supremacy with the red man. Pos- 
sessed of that rare courtesy and tact which made 
a.t home the baron or the peasant, he brought 
to bear his great natural social powers upon the 
simple life of the son of the forest. About this 
time, he was adopted into the tribe and became 
known as Warragh-i-ya-gey. He was their equal 
in bravery and endurance, their peer in prowess, 
their leader in battle, their arbiter in dispute, 
their comrade at games. Using their native 
tongue he made one at their councils, adorned 
with war-paint, a great war-bonnet, and a scarlet 
blanket embroidered in gold. In integrity he was 
unswerving; in hospitality, boundless, and he held 
the Iroquois nations in leash. 

There is in existence a bill of sale of Sir William's 
day showing that Nicholas Herkimer, Esq., bought ' 
of John Heughan of Schenectady, on May 26, 
1774, "eight yards Superfine black Serge, seven 
yards of Shalloon, one yard of Buckram one half 
dozen sheath headed Buttons, two dozen small 
do., four scanes of silk and two Sticks of Silk 
Twist." 

At Albany and Schenectady, the burghers in 
general made purchase of such produce as their 
own well stocked farms and thrifty vrouws did 



In the Days of Sir William 79 

not provide. For the convenience, however, of the 
casual buyer — particularly of the bos-loper, the 
Indian and the trapper — there was established 
the country store, whose staple consisted of rum, 
molasses, the common groceries and drugs, 
"ankers" (gallon kegs) of brandy, clothing, hats, 
shoes, strouds (blankets), duffels (coarse cloth), 
axes, guns, powder, knives, kettles, pans, steel 
traps, horns, snow-sledges, fish-hooks and lines, 
pipes, beads, and other knickknacks for the Indian 
trade. 

There was little of display. Jars and dry goods 
upon the shelves, — bins, boxes, and barrels upon 
the floor. Such a store as this Lady Johnson 
herself did not disdain to keep. 

Of the dealings of the red man with the white 
we have interesting evidence in the account of 
Jelles Fonda, said to have been the first merchant 
west of Schenectady who, diu-ing the days of Sir 
William, established a prosperous store and who 
numbered among his customers "Yoimg Baron 
of the Hill," "Wide Mouth Jacob," "Young 
Moses," "Sntiffers David," and the "Squinty 
Cayuga," who left in pledge their silver orna- 
ments, such as arm-bands and "draw-bands" 
for the hair. They bought fire-water and stock- 
ings, blankets and hats, knives, looking-glasses, 
gilt cups and laces, and all that they bought they 
paid for in the end. The accounts were often 
settled in ginseng at three cents per pound. 
Before this store the red man stood entranced as 



8o The Historic Mohawk 

he listened to the chiming of the musical clock 
within. 

Mr. Fonda had agents at Fort Stanwix, Oswego, 
and Niagara and there they bought directly from 
the Indians, furs, which were afterward sold in 
quantities in London. 

We append an interesting bill from Mr. Fonda's 
accounts : 

Young Moses, Dr. 



1762 

Sept. 20 




£ 


s. 


d 


To one French blanket 







16 





" " small 







12 





" 4 Ells White linnen 







8 





" I pair Indian stockin 


gs 





6 





" I hat 







8 





" I pt. of rum and one 


dram 





I 


4 


" I qt. rum 







2 






I leave in pledge two silver wrist-bands. 

By the year 1760, there were settled at Fort 
Stanwix five white families, and the heads of two 
of these, Mr. Brodock and Mr. Roof, are known 
to have been engaged in the Indian trade for fur. 

Some of Mr. Roof's bills of sale are still pre- 
served. He was prosperous in his business, 
having customers as far east as even Stone Arabia 
and Caughnawaga. He often furnished supplies 
for the fort, but the fortune of war caused his 
removal just previous to the battle of Oriskany. 



In the Days of Sir William 8i 

He afterwards became the founder of Canajoharie 
village. 

About 1764 the settlement of New Petersburg, a 
hamlet of more than thirty log-houses on the 
site of the present East Schuyler, was begun by 
one Hasenclever, who started it with German 
emigrants whom he employed in running a 
potash factory, shipping the potash down the 
Mohawk in fiat-bottomed boats and bringing 
back other produce in retiun. Under the same 
management, Mr. John Wolff kept a store, and 
the scales, then in use, dated 1764, are preserved 
to this day by his descendants. 

There exists an order of J. Wolff written in 
German which, translated, reads: 



Mr. George Dachsteter, give, on the presentation 
of this to Peter Moulder and George Cronhard one 
whole freight of corn for the account of Mr. Peter 
Hasenclever, of New York, for which Mr. George 
Herckheimer will guarantee the payment of 5s. per 
skipple, to the amount of £6 5s. 

Dated Petersburgh, the 25th February, 1768. 

(Signed) J. Wolff. 
(Good for 25 Skipples of corn, at £6 5s.) 

The first store in Minden was kept by William 
Seeber about 1750. Conrad Gansevoort erected 
a dwelling-house, including a store, at the foot 
of Sand Hill and the Oothout brothers built 
about the same time a store which was fifty feet 

6 



82 The Historic Mohawk 

long and two stories high. There was a dwelling 
on one end. 

John Hugh Heughan of Schenectady adver- 
tised, in 1772, "Scotch Snuff, Tobacco, Bibles, 
Testaments, Spelling-Books, Knives & Forks, 
Writing Paper, Ink, Powder, Quills, Razors, &c."; 
while James Van Home, whose trading place 
was located near the present canal locks at Fort 
Herkimer has preserved accounts, from which we 
quote : 

1775 May 15 to Cash paid Dr. Jacob Petrie for i 
Glass of Bolsom Damalts and Bleeding. 

Against Duncan McDougal — 

1775 Dec. 14 to I otter skin 24s.; 3 martin skins 9s. 

Among items charged to various persons are 
also mentioned sundry "nips of grog. " 

Isaac Paris, an Alsatian, came to this country 
about 1737 and settled at Stone Arabia. Here 
he kept a large country store which was afterward 
stockaded and known during the Revolution as 
Fort Paris. One of Mr. Paris's advertisements 
has been preserved and is believed to date back 
to about 1770. 

Just imported from London and to be sold by the 
subscriber, Isaac Paris, at his house in Stonearabia — 
a large Assortment of European Goods, viz. ; Black and 
Blue Persian; Silk Damascas, Silk Venetian Poplin; 
Fine Cloth and Blue Sagathy; Chints; Printed 



In the Days of Sir William 83 

Cotton ; French Cambric ; French Clear Lawn ; British 
Sheeting; Russia Sheeting; German Ozuaburg; Black 
Callimanco; Black Silk fringed Handkerchiefs; 
Men's & Women's 3 thd. white Thread Stockings; 
Men's brown ditto; Men's Cotton Stockings; Men's 
Random Thread Stockings; Black ripp'd Worsted 
hose; Black and figured Ribbons; Tea Kettles; 
Men's and Women's Buckles; Pistol Cap'd Klnives; 
Castorbatts; powder; Shot of various sort; Horn- 
combs; Yvory combs; Writing paper — Also, New 
York Rum; Loaf and Muscovadoe Sugar; and 
likewise a Large Assortment of pewter work and 
French Blankets with Sundry Articles too tedious to 
enumerate, Which he will sell by Wholesale or Retail, 
on very cheap and the lowest terms, in cash, or (if 
required) for credit, or any merchantable Country 

produce. 

Isaac Paris. 

Johan Jost Petry was one of the large contractors 
of the day, as witness the following certificate: 

Fort Oswego 24th April 1752 

I do hereby Certify that I have received from Mr. 
Johan Petry Contractor for victuaUing this Garrison 
Four Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty Six 
pounds of Beef, Seventy Eight Bushells of Wheat 
Meal, Fifty Eight Bushells and a half of Pease Nine- 
teen Bushells and a half Indian Com Fifty-two 
Gallons of Rum, Fifty-two pounds weight of Sugar and 
Fifty two pounds weight of Candles, for the half year 
Commencing the first of November last and ending the 
Thirty- 1st Instant. John Nulter. 



§4 The Historic Mohawk 

Mr. Petrie's papers contain many interesting 
items in regard to these contracts, for example, 
of date May i6, 1775: 

To ten men making road at the carrying-place, 
each three days, is thirty days, at 5s. a day £20-00 

June 9 — To six horses which I bought for 48 10 

July 27 — To 96 skipples peas sent to Oswego, all 
charges, 44-05 

Oct. 28 — To 45 skipples flour delivered to Captain 
Williams 9-00 

Sir William himself was a trader. His furs 
found sale in London, while his Mohawk Valley 
flour was exported as far north as Nova Scotia 
and as far south as the West Indies. 

But colonial days in the Mohawk Valley were 
destined to be other than days of peace. The 
wars between English and French, Mohawk 
and Adirondack had resulted in such massacres 
as that at Schenectady in 1790. The old French 
War of 1744 gave rise to renewed slaughter. The 
French pursued the policy of petty raids. Novem- 
ber 17, 1745, Saratoga was given to the torch. 

On the 26th of November, the same year, Mr. 
James Wilson of Albany, imbued with fears for 
the safety of his friend, wrote a letter to the 
baronet, from which we make an extract. 

Mother desires you to come down and live here this 
winter, until these troublesome times are a little over. 
They have kept a room on purpose for you, and they 



In the Days of Sir William 85 

beg that you will send down the best of your things 
directly. There is room enough for your servants 
if you will bring them down. I would not have you 
stay at your own house, for the French have told our 
Indians that they will have you dead or alive, be- 
cause you are a relation of Captain Warren, their 
great adversary. Therefore, I beg you will not be too 
resolute and stay. If you will not come yourself I 
beg you will send your books and papers, and the best 
of your things. 

Another extract from a letter of the day gives 
a vivid picture of the war methods of the Iro- 
quois and of Sir William's manner of dealing with 
them. 

Colonel Johnson to Governor Clinton. 

Mount Johnson, May 30, 1747. 

May it please your Excellency: 

You cannot conceive the uneasiness your long 
silence gives me — not having had the honor of a line 
from you since the thirtieth of April. It is now the 
first time that I have wanted money for scalps and 
provisions and instructions most of all. The numbers 
about me every day going to war takes abundance of 
arms, ammunition and clothing, and I am quite bare 
of most of those things. Your excellency will con- 
ceive that what I have received is but a mere trifle, 
with so many as I have to distribute it among, 
although so sparingly done ; and were it not for my own 
store and what goods I have been obliged to buy, 
I should have been obliged to drop the affair some 
time ago, which would have been very hard after all 



86 The Historic Mohawk 

my trouble to bring them so heartily into our interest. 
I am quite pestered every day with parties returning 
with prisoners and scalps, and without a penny to 
pay them with, it comes very hard upon me, and is 
displeasing to them, I can assure you, for they expect 
their pay, and demand it of me as soon as they return. 



There is nothing more requisite at present than 
some blue camlet, red shalloon, good lace and white 
metal buttons to make up a parcel of coats for some 
chief warriors from the Senecas, and for others who 
are daily expected. Wherefore I wish your excellency 
would send me up these things by the first opportunity 
and also about thirty good castor hats, with scallop 
lace for them all, white lace if to be had, if not, some 
yellow with it. This I assure your excellency goes 
a great way with them. 

Just as I was finishing my letter arrived another 
party of mine, consisting of only six Mohawks, who 
brought with them seven prisoners and three scalps, 
which is very great for so small a party. I have my ^ 
house now all full of the Five Nations — some going 
out to-morrow against the French. Others go for 
news, which, when furnished, I shall let your ex- 
cellency know. My "peoples" success is now the 
talk of the whole country. I expect in a short time 
several more parties home from Canada. I believe 
Hendrick will be the first, who, I dare say, will 
bring a great many with him, dead or alive. — So that 
we shall need a great deal among them all. They have 
brought in this spring as follows: 



In the Days of Sir William 87 

First by Lieut. Walter Butler and his party, 

from Crown Point, the scalps of men, 6 

By Lieut. Thomas Butler and party, prisoners, 8 

By a Canajoharie party, prisoners, 7 

Scalps, 2 

By Gingegoe and party, prisoners, 7 

Scalps, 3 



Extract from Colonel Johnson to Governor Clinton. 

Mt. Johnson, Aug. 13, 1747. 
There is one thing which I wish your excellency to 
consider of, which is my extraordinary expense in 
keeping several hands employed to attend the numbers 
of Indians I have daily had at my house these twelve 
months past, as also of a clerk, who, with myself, has 
more work than men can well bear. 

But a few weeks earlier than the above date, 
the neighborhood of Schenectady had again ex- 
perienced suffering. 

About three miles west of that ancient town is a 
depression in the land known as Beukendaal. In 
the year 1747, in the month of July, two Schenec- 
tady yeomen, Messrs. Toll and Van Vorst, with 
one Ryckert, a servant of the former, visited the 
spot in search of some horses they had lost. 
Thinking they heard the sound of hoofs they 
incautiously advanced to find themselves in the 
presence of Indians playing at quoits. Mr. Toll 
received their fire and was killed. Mr. Van Vorst 



88 The Historic Mohawk 

was captured. Ryckert escaped. The firing had 
been heard, the slave confirmed the news, and the 
klokliiyer, Widow Margarita Veeder, gave the 
alarm by the ringing of the church bell. 

A company of New England militia was sta- 
tioned at Schenectady at the time. With a few 
of the villagers, they marched, seventy men in 
all, to the spot. But they had been duped by 
Indian cunning. Seeing a crow flying up and 
down about the body of a seated man, they ad- 
vanced in surprise, only in their turn to receive de- 
structive fire from Indian rifles. The crow was 
tied with a string and the supposedly living man 
was but the dead body of Mr. Toll. 

In this engagement many were wounded, thir- 
teen or fourteen taken prisoners, and twenty 
killed. The remainder took their flight to the 
deserted De Graaf house, where they succeeded 
in barricading themselves until Colonel Jacob 
Glen led a Schenectady regiment to their relief, 
when their antagonists fled. Meanwhile, Mr. 
Van Vorst, who had been left tied to a tree, had 
succeeded in reaching his knife, cutting the 
strings and making good his escape. The dead 
bodies were carried tenderly to the barn of 
Abraham Mabie and laid there on the floor. 

Bands of savages now prowled about the valley. 
Petty raids were frequent, suffering and danger 
enveloped the troubled frontier. Ammunition 
was kept ready at hand ; all men were under arms. 
Forts were put in repair, homes and churches were 



In the Days of Sir William 89 

palisaded for defence, and sentries were posted 
on neighboring hills. Despite all these precau- 
tions, many a life was swiftly and cruelly taken, 
many a sorrowful captive was borne away to 
Canada, and many a fresh-cut scalp adorned the 
belt of the warrior from the north. 

About the year 1746, in which year Sir William 
was appointed by Governor Clinton colonel of the 
warriors of the Six Nations, great restlessness 
prevailed among the red men. War existed 
between England and France and the Iroquois 
vacillated beneath the compelling influence of the 
nations at arms. This restlessness and vacilla- 
tion greatly increased, when, in 1750, Sir William 
resigned from his position, under sway of certain 
intrigues prevailing at Albany. 

In 1753, there was a general call for the services 
of Johnson to pacify the Indians. In that year 
they met him at Fort Johnson and difficulties 
were arranged. In 1755, April 16, he was ap- 
pointed by General Braddock sole superintendent 
of Indian affairs. But the troubled frontier was 
not yet at peace. A vivid picture of the times is 
presented in a letter to Sir William from Oswego, 
bearing date August 9, 1754, and beginning thus: 

Sir — I embrace this opportunity of Reporting to 
your Honour that this Day past this Fort bound to- 
wards Canada Seventeen Canoes with seven French 
Colours Hoist as also two English Colours Yelping 
the Death Hollow from the time of their appearing in 
sight till they came almost opposite the Fort and 



90 The Historic Mohawk 

then ceased and after they had past a little distance 
Fired Five or Six Guns one at a time. 

The year 1755 marked the beginning of the 
"Last French War." September 8, 1755, the 
battle of Lake George took place — a conflict 
between the American army, in all three thousand 
strong, and the French army of about five hundred 
more. The French force was under command 
of Baron Dieskau; the American army, largely 
composed of New England men, with some New- 
Yorkers, was led by General Lyman and Gen. 
William Johnson, the latter having under his 
control four hundred Iroquois who were not in 
favor with the New England men. The signal 
victory gained by the colonists at this time 
secured for General Johnson the title "Baronet," 
which he thereafter bore, receiving at the same 
time a gift from Parliament of five thousand 
pounds. 

In the Baron's army likewise were some few 
of the "praying Indians," Mohawk converts ^ 
who had moved to Canada. 

As the Baron wrote in a letter of Septem- 
ber 15th: 

Our affair was well begun but as soon as the Iro- 
quois perceived some Mohawks, they came to a dead 
halt. . . . 

The Regulars received the whole of the enemy's 
fire and were almost cut to pieces. I prophesied to 
you Sir that the Iroquois wovild play some scurvy 



In the Days of Sir William 91 

trick, — it is unfortunate that I am such a good 
prophet. 

Said Johnson, in his official report of the same 
event, "The Schenectady officers and men fought 
like lions. " 

During the year 1755 there was built by the 
English, probably between June and October, the 
star-shaped work, Fort Bull, named after its com- 
mander. Lieutenant Bull. In the same year, Fort 
Williams, likewise named after its commander, 
Captain Williams, was built on the Mohawk not 
far from the present Rome. 

On the 7th of March, 1756, M. DeLery, after 
long resistance, battered down the gate of Fort 
Bull and put its garrison to the sword. The fort, 
which was liberally stocked with provisions and 
clothing, was pillaged and committed to the flames. 

The erection of Fort Newport, a little work 
which was never finished, was begtm during the 
same year. It stood about half-way between 
Forts Williams and Bull. Fort Craven was com- 
pleted about the same time by Major Charles 
Craven. In August, all three — Forts WiUiams, 
Newport, and Craven — were destroyed by order 
of General Webb. 

The old stone church of Fort Herkimer, to- 
gether with the substantial stone residence of 
Johan Jost Herkimer and other buildings, was 
stockaded in the spring of 1756 by order of Sir 
William Johnson. This fortification was known 
by the French as Fort Kouari. 



92 The Historic Mohawk 

The mansion of the patriarch Herkimer was 
forty feet in width and seventy feet long, with two 
stories and a basement. It was grand for the 
times and picturesque, with its six port-holes, its 
broad basement windows through which a team 
might drive, its spacious hallway through the 
centre, its broad oaken staircase, and its deep 
fireplaces on each floor. 

During the fall of 1757 rumors were rife of an 
attack upon German Flats. The inhabitants 
themselves were warned by friendly Oneidas. 
Sir William Johnson urged the English officers at 
Albany to send reinforcements to the threatened 
district. 

But warnings were in vain. On the morning 
of November 12, 1757, the "Palatine's Village," 
German Flats, (the present Herkimer), was 
attacked by M. de Belletre with an army of 
Canadians, marines, and Indians, and one hun- 
dred people were carried captive to Canada. 
Some were slain. The little village was situated 
nearly opposite the old fort. In this were gathered 
the people from the south side of the river, and to 
this fort fled in safety the Rev. Mr. Rosencrantz, 
at that time pastor of the churches on both sides, 
with one hundred of his flock from the north side 
of the river. The fort, which now contained two 
hundred people and a garrison of one hundred and 
fifty soldiers, was not attacked. All property 
was either destroyed or carried away. 

The amount of spoil taken by M. de Belletre 



In the Days of Sir William 93 

at this time was, according to his own report, 
very great. The report was no doubt exaggerated, 
but the people were thrifty and had accumulated 
some degree of wealth. 

Johan Jost Petrie, the mayor of the town, was 
one of the unfortunate captives and is said to have 
been compelled, during his exile, to wear a cap 
with bells and tassels and perform dances at the 
pleasure of his savage captors. 

On April 30th, of the year following, an attack 
was made on the south side of the river by a 
party of eighty Indians and four Frenchmen, who 
killed thirty-three people. Captain Herkimer, 
with a company of rangers, came to the rescue 
and drove off the enemy. 

Advancing eastwardly along the Mohawk River, 
we find standing at this time three other forts 
which are described, after the French version, 
very entertainingly in the "Brodhead Papers." 

Fort Canajoharie, the Upper Mohawk Castle, also 
on the south side of the river, consists of a square 
of four bastions of upright pickets joined with lintels 
fifteen feet high and about one foot square, with 
port-holes, and a stage all around to fire from. The 
fort was one hundred paces on each side, had small 
cannon in its bastions, and houses to serve as a store 
and barrack. Five or six families of Mohawks re- 
sided outside the pickets. From Fort Canajoharie 
to Fort Hunter — Lower Mohawk Castle — ^is about 
twelve leagues, with a good carriage road along the 
bank of the river. 



94 The Historic Mohawk 

Fort Hunter, situated on the borders of the 
"Moack" river, on the south side, in the estuary at 
the junction of the Schoharie creek with the Mohawk, 
and known by the Indians as Tienonderoga, is of the 
same form as that of Canajoharie, except that it is 
twice as large. It Hkewise has a house at each comer. 
The cannon at each bastion are seven and nine poun- 
ders. The pickets of this fort are higher than those at 
Canajoharie. There is a church or temple in the 
middle of the fort, while in its inclosure are also some 
thirty cabins of Mohawk Indians, which is their most 
considerable village. This fort, like that of Canajo- 
harie, has no ditch and has a large swing-gate at the 
entrance. There are some houses outside, though 
under the protection of the fort, in which the coun- 
try people seek shelter when an Indian or French 
war party is looked for. 

Chenectedi, or Corlaer, situated on the south side 
of the Mohawk, is a village of about three hundred 
inhabitants. It is surrounded by upright pickets 
flanked from distance to distance. Entering by the 
gate on the Fort Hunter side — west side — there is a 
fort to the right which forms a kind of citadel in the 
interior of the village itself. It is a square flanked 
with four demi-bastions constructed half of masonry 
and half of timbers, and is capable of holding two 
or three hundred men. Several pieces of cannon are 
mounted on the ramparts. It is not encircled by a 
ditch; the entrance is through a large swing-gate 
which lifts up like a drawbridge. By penetrating the 
village from another point the fire from the fort can 
be avoided. The most of the inhabitants are Dutch. 

Returning to Fort Johnson, we have this account : 



In the Days of Sir William 95 

. Col. Johnson's Mansion is situated on the border 
of the left bank of the River Moack: it is three stories 
high (two with an attic) built of stone, with port-holes 
and a parapet, and flanked with four bastions on 
which are some small guns. In the same yard, on 
both sides of the mansion are two small houses ; that 
on the right of the entrance is a store, and that on 
the left is designed for workmen negroes and other 
domestics. The yard gate is a heavy swing-gate 
well ironed; it is on the Moack river side; from this 
gate to the river is about two hundred paces of level 
ground. The high road passes there. A small 
rivulet, coming from the north, empties into the 
Moack river, about two hundred paces below the 
inclosure of the yard. On this stream is a mill about 
fifty paces distance from the house; below the mill 
is the miller's house, where grain and flour are stored, 
and on the other side of the creek, one hundred paces 
from the mill, is a bam in which cattle and fodder 
are kept. One hundred and fifty paces from Col. 
Johnson's mansion at the north side, on the left bank 
of the little creek, is a rise of ground on which is a 
small house with port-holes where, ordinarily, is kept 
a guard of honor of some twenty men, which serves 
also as an advanced post. 

On the 23d day of July, 1758, at the present 
city of Rome, Brigadier-General John Stanwix 
began the construction of the fort which was 
named after him and which was destined to 
play so important a part in the annals of the 
Revolutionary War, After the death of the 
builder, who was drowned in the Irish Channel 



96 The Historic Mohawk 

before the Revolution, some attempt was made to 
change the name to Fort Schuyler. We find, 
thereafter, something of confusion in the title. 
But the old name had already become historic 
and it clung to the site. It was as Fort Stanwix 
that it gained the glory with which it was to be 
enveloped in the days of '77. 

Wolves, bison, and elk existed in the valley then. 
A charming writer, Mrs. Grant, gives us a pen 
picture of the wild life as it existed then, when, as 
a child, daughter of a British officer making his 
way from Albany to Oswego, she passed through 
it in 1759. She says: 



We travelled from one fort to another, — but in 
three or four instances, to my great joy, they were so 
remote from each other we found it necessary to en- 
camp at night on the bank of the river. This is a 
land of profound solitude, where wolves, foxes and 
bears abounded and were much inclined to consider 
and treat us as intruders. It might seem dismal to 
wiser folks. But I was so gratified by the bustle and ' 
agitation produced by our measures of defence and 
actuated by that love which all children have of mis- 
chief that is not fatal, that I enjoyed our night's 
encampment exceedingly. We stopped early when- 
ever we saw the largest and most combustible kind 
of trees. Cedars were great favorites and the first 
work was to fell and pile upon each other an incredible 
number stretched lengthways; while every one who 
could was busied in gathering withered branches of 
pine, &c., to fill up the interstices of the pile and make 



In the Days of Sir William 97 

the green wood burn the faster. Then a train of gun- 
powder was laid along to give fire to the whole fabric 
at once, which blazed and crackled magnificently. 
Then the tents were erected close in a row before this 
grand conflagration. This was not merely meant to 
keep us warm, though the nights did begin to grow 
cold, but to frighten wild beasts and wandering 
Indians. In case any such, belonging to hostile tribes, 
should see this prodigious blaze, the size of it was 
meant to give an idea of a greater force than we 
possessed. 

In one place, where we were surrounded by hills, 
with swamps lying between them, there seemed to 
be a general congress of wolves which answered each 
other from opposite hills in sounds the most terrific. 
Probably the terror which all savage animals have 
at fire was exalted into fury by seeing so many enemies 
whom they dare not attack. The bull-frogs, those 
harmless though hideous inhabitants of the swamps, 
seemed determined not to be outdone, and roared a 
tremendous bass to this bravura accompaniment. 
This was almost too much for my love of the terrible 
sublime: some women, who were our fellow-travellers, 
shrieked with terror; and finally, the horrors of the 
night were ever after held in awful remembrance by 
all who shared them. 

This journey, charming my romantic imagination 
by its very delays and difficulties, was such a source 
of interest and novelty to me that above all things 
I dreaded its conclusion, which I well knew would 
be succeeded by long tasks and close confinement. 
Happily for me, we soon entered upon Wood Creek, 
the most desirable of all places for a traveller who 
loves to linger, if such another traveller there be. 



98 The Historic Mohawk 

This is a small river, which winds irregulariy through 
a deep and narrow valley of the most lavish fertility. 
The depth and richness of the soil here were evinced 
by the loftiness and the nature of the trees which were 
hickory, butternut, chestnut and sycamores of vast 
circumference as well as height. These became so 
top-heavy, and their roots were so often undermined 
by this insidious stream, that in every tempestuous 
night some giants of the grove fell prostrate, and very 
frequently across the stream, where they lay in all 
their pomp of foliage, like a leafy bridge, un withered 
and forming an obstacle almost invincible to all 
navigation. The Indian lifted his light canoe, and 
carried it past the tree, but our deep-loaded bateau 
coiild not be so managed. Here my orthodoxy was 
shocked and my anti-military prejudice renewed, by 
the swearing of the soldiers, but then again my venera- 
tion for my father was, if possible, increased by his 
lectures against swearing, provoked by their trans- 
gressions. Nothing remained for our heroes but to 
attack these sylvan giants, axe in hand, and make 
way through their divided bodies. The assault upon 
fallen greatness was unanimous and unmerciful, but 
the resistance was tough and the process tedious, so 
much so that we were three days proceeding fourteen 
miles, having at every two hours' end at least a new 
tree to cut through. It was October; the trees we 
had to cut through were often loaded with nuts, and 
while I ran lightly along the branches to fill my 
basket with these spoils which I had great pleasure 
in distributing, I met with multitudes of fellow- 
plunderers in the squirrels of various colors and sizes, 
who were here numberless. This made my excursions 
amusing. 



In the Days of Sir William 99 

It was in 1760, December 27, that Sir William 
obtained from the Indians title to a tract of some 
hundred thousand acres, lying, in the main, 
between the two Canada creeks. In March of 
the following year, petition was made to the king 
to confirm this grant, and, as it was not customary 
to place more than one thousand acres to the name 
of one person, thirty-nine nam.es besides Johnson's 
were added to the list. This the king signed 
in person and affixed the royal seal, — hence the 
deed was known as the "Royal Grant." 

The endorsement is of interest : 

This grant is in consideration of the faithful service 
rendered unto us by the said William Johnson, the 
grantees also yielding and paying two beaver skins, 
to be delivered at our castle at Windsor, on the first 
day of January in every year; and also the fifth part 
of gold and silver ore which from time to time shall 
be found upon said tract. 

On June 23, 1753, a tract of land comprising 
some twenty thousand acres of land and known 
as the Kingsborough Patent had been granted 
to Arent Stevens "and others." It is believed 
that Johnson was one of the others, as he ultimately 
came into possession of the land. 

In the midst of this fertile region the baronet 
started a "new settlement," which he cherished 
and cared for during the remaining years of his 
life, — settling therein as his tenantry many of his 
kinspeople, — the Scotch-Irish, — building school, 



100 The Historic Mohawk 

inn, and church, court-house and jail, supplying 
the inhabitants with pearl ashes from his manu- 
factory and with lumber from his saw-mills. By 
the introduction of fine horses and cattle he per- 
manently improved the Mohawk Valley stock. 
We have his word that : 

Before I set the example no farmer on the Mohawk 
river ever raised so much as a single load of hay; at 
present, some raise above one hundred. The like 
was the case with regard to sheep, to which they were 
entire strangers until I introduced them. 

Near his flourishing "new settlement," now 
Johnstown, the baronet built of wood a stately 
mansion called Johnson Hall, and to this, from 
Fort Johnson, he moved in 1763. Here he planted 
the ancient lilacs, still blooming, and those lordly 
poplars which, imtil lately, have withstood the 
assaults of time. Here were the blossoming 
gardens which the gardener kept, "as neat as a 
pin." Here Sir William entertained the painted 
sons of the forest and house parties of fashionable 
friends from the new world and the old. Here the 
open out-of-door life appealed for many months of 
the year; the latest novel vied with the study of 
the starry heavens. Works of philosophy and 
of botany, of horticulture and of history lay side 
by side on the library table; and the grassy 
meadows and leafy forests were to him an open 
book. 



CHAPTER V 

IN THE DAYS OF SIR WILLIAM — CHURCH AND STATE 

Komteyea, laett ons op gaen tot den bergh des 
Heeren to den huyse des Godes Jacob; op dat hy ons 
leese van syne wegen, en dat wy wandele in syne paden. 

Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the 
Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will 
teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths. 

I'^HE above inscription, taken from the tablet 
topping the door of the old Caughnawaga 
church might well be adopted as the watch-word 
of our forefathers, who were a God-fearing race. 
The church and the school-house soon followed 
the home, and Dutch Reformed and Lutheran 
structures were peaceable neighbors side by side. 
As early as 171 1, under the auspices of an 
English "Society for Propagating the Gospel in 
Foreign Parts," and with the direct patronage of 
Queen Anne, there was erected at Fort Hunter 
a chapel primarily and particularly for the use of 
the Mohawk Indians. Near at hand was the old 
Fort Hiinter from which the little settlement 
afterward took its name, — a military post at the 

lOI 



102 The Historic Mohawk 

junction of the Mohawk and Schoharie, — a 
small fort of hewn timber erected by an English 
officer, Capt. John Scott. The building was of 
stone and entered from the north side. In his 
day. Sir William Johnson was an attendant here, 
and, amid movable benches opposite the pulpit 
and sounding board, were two pews with elevated 
floor for the occupancy of the rector and Sir Wil- 
liam Johnson. The latter pew was also furnished 
with a wooden canopy. 

Rich were the furnishings of the sacred struc- 
ture, — Queen Anne's handsome communion ser- 
vice of silver, twelve beautiful octavo Bibles, 
embroidered table-cloth, altar-cloth and napkins, 
and tasselled cushions for pulpit and desk. Pic- 
turesquely served as sexton a son of Afric in 
scarlet attire, and stately seemed the form and 
solemn the music of the first organ known to have 
existed west of Albany — all these in the old 
church which was mercilessly torn down to make 
room for the Erie Canal! 

The oldest building in the Mohawk Valley 
west of the Mabie House, the parsonage, still 
stands, — 171 1, marked in large letters upon its 
ancient stone, — and decorated with a modem roof. 

By the time Sir William reached the valley, 
the Third Dutch Church of Schenectady, dedicated 
January 13, 1734, was standing at the junction of 
State, Church, and Union Streets. It thus com- 
manded the view of an approaching foe, that, if 
occasion required, bullets from its port-holes might 



Church and State 103 

rake the streets. It was built of blue sandstone 
and boasted clock-tower and belfry, whence it fell 
to the lot of the klokluyer (sexton) to coax the 
chimes. Three times before church service was 
rung the bell, cast in Amsterdam and engraved : 

De Kick Van de Neder duidsch gemeente Van 
Sconechiade door Haar self bezorght anno 1732 
Me fecerunt De Grave et Muller Amsterdam. 

At the close of service, it rang again that ser- 
vants might be notified in time to prepare for the 
return of the family. 

Inside, at one end, stood the wine-glass shaped 
pulpit, preeck-stoel, with conical sounding-board. 
In raised seats {gestoelte) along the three remaining 
sides of the room sat the men and boys; on 
bancken (benches) toward the centre, sat the wo- 
men and girls, provided in winter with little foot- 
stoves. On bancken also on the side of the pulpit 
were seated the elders and deacons. 

The vooleezer, who ranked next in importance 
to the minister, preceded him in his duties by 
reading, at his option, the Ten Commandments 
or a chapter of Holy Writ. 

St. George's church, the oldest church building 
now standing at Schenectady, was organized in 
1735* The structure was begun in 1759 and 
finished about 1766. It was paid for as built, 
a worthy member, named John Brown, allowing 
the work to go on no faster than he and one or two 



104 The Historic Mohawlc 

others were able to raise the necessary funds. 
Sir William assisted in this matter. Part of its 
quaint original interior is still preserved and 
there may be seen the square pew of the baronet, 
once covered by a canopy. In the erection of 
this building Presbyterians and Episcopalians 
shared, and in it for a time both worshipped — the 
former to use the south door, the latter, the west 
door. When the pitch-pipes were introduced into 
Presbyterian worship, Mr. Kelly, a prominent 
member, is on record as having rushed frantically 
down the aisle exclaiming : 

"Awa' wi' your box o' whistles!" 

The Palatines of Stone Arabia, Calvinists and 
Lutherans together, took measures as early as 
1729 for the construction of a church edifice. It 
was finally built about 1735, a log house, in which 
the two congregations alternately worshipped. In 
1744, each body erected its own house of worship. 

At Niskayuna was built, about 1750, a school- 
house, used also as a galat or prayer-house, 
and on its site about 1760 was erected the Re- 
formed Church of Niskayuna. 

The Low Dutch Church of Caughnawaga, 
built of massive stone, came into being in 1763. 
On a tablet over the door, in Dutch, was the 
inscription which heads this chapter: 

Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the 
Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will 
teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths. 



Church and State 105 

The steeple, built in 1795, was beautified by 
Sir William Johnson's dinner-bell, inscribed "S R. 
William Johnson Baronet 1774. Made by Miller 
and Ross in Eliz. Town." The pulpit stood in 
front of the door. Pews were square, and under 
the north side of the gallery were arranged 
bancken (benches), for the use of Indians and 
slaves. 

In those days tithing men took from the wall 
on either side the pulpit poles with little be-belled 
bags fastened at end and traversed the church 
from pew to pew, the tinkling of bells making 
a merry accompaniment to the jingling of the 
coin, and hickory gads were often applied to the 
backs of mischievous boys. Foot-stoves, too, 
shuffled quickly from well-warmed feet to those of 
a colder neighbor, while the dominie depended as 
best he might upon the fervor of true eloquence for 
warmth. In from the coimtry, in wagons pro- 
vided with chairs of sheepskin bottoms, most of 
the congregation had ridden, the men now finding 
shelter and perhaps comfort and hot drinks, at 
some neighboring inn. 

In 1750, rose the old Sand Hill Dutch Reformed 
Church burned in 1780, wooden, rebuilt at the 
close of the Revolution and resounding in Decem- 
ber, 1799, to the praises of Washington when, in 
solemn state, its walls were festooned in gala 
array. At that time it contained but one cush- 
ioned pew, occupied by Conrad Gansevoort. 
Still later, a brick structure took its place. The 



io6 The Historic Mohawk 

Sand Hill edifice stood very near the ancient 
blockhouse at Fort Plain. 

Another little church, still standing in the town 
of Danube, then the Canajoharie Castle, was 
built of wood at the expense of Sir William John- 
son in 1769 with weather-cock and steeple, sur- 
moimted by a ball of gilt. Here Mr. Kirkland 
preached and it was called the Castle Church. 
It was built for the Indians and finished at their 
request with a bell. On their removal, at the 
close of the Revolution, to Canada, they at- 
tempted, it is said, the theft of the sweet-toned 
instrument. Unfortunately for them, however, 
they forgot to muffle the clapper, whose insistent 
clanging betrayed its whereabouts. They were 
pursued and overtaken, and the coveted prize was 
lost to them forever. 

Sir William, who patronized religion as he did 
learning, erected, in 1771, an Episcopal church 
at Johnstown, and here also he had his canopied 
pew opposite the vacant one dedicated to his 
Majesty, the King. Here he sat in state, an 
elegant prayer-book in his hand, and hither 
flocked his Indian guests. Quite at will they 
came and went, during service standing instead 
of sitting, leaning against the doorposts at times. 
At the close of the service, he handed his Brown 
Lady and her family of seven little ones into the 
carriage and away they drove to Johnson Hall. 



Church and State 107 

The earliest pastor was Rev. Richard Mosely. 
After his departure, which was owing to ill health, 
he wrote the baronet as follows: 

Sir William 

I am at a loss to express my gratitude to you for 
your unbounded goodness to me during my residence 
at Johnstown, and particularly at my departure. I 
shall always retain a most grateful sense of your 
generosity, and that it may please God long to pro- 
long your life, and possess you with a good state of 
health, will be the constant prayer and wishes of one 
who has the honor of subscribing himself, 

Sir William 

Your much Obliged, 
and very Humble Serv't 

R. Mosely. 

The Palatine Stone Church of Palatine reared 
its sides to the light in 1770. This beautifiil 
building, with interior remodelled, still stands. 
Its goblet-shaped pulpit, provided with sounding- 
board, was slate colored, we are told, and the pews 
"wore a dress of Spanish brown." A gilded 
weather-cock topped the steeple, and the ' ' tinkling 
triangle" summoned the worshipppers of early 
days. Over its door was inscribed "Erbauet im 
Yahr Christo 1770. Den 18 ten Aug." 

Within the walls of this dear old edifice, upon 
its anniversary celebration, that honored citizen 
of the Mohawk Valley, Horatio Seymour, said, 
in reply to a wish upon the part of another speaker 



io8 The Historic Mohawk 

that the moral needs of the community would 
justify the tearing down and enlarging of the 
building : 

If the religious requirements of this community 
should ever demand a larger place of worship build 
anew and on some other spot. For the sake of your 
fathers, whose memories and deeds we cherish, for 
the sake of yourselves and your posterity, I beg of 
you not to tear down that old landmark. Let it 
stand as a monument to the love of God and the 
religious liberty of the builders. When God, in 
His own good time sees fit to put it back to the dust 
from which it sprang. He will do so, but don't, let 
me beseech of you, tear it down. 

About 1725, a log church was built on the side 
of the river, in the present German Flats, then 
Bumetsfield, and before the year 1730, Nicholas 
Woolaber had given land for the site of a stone 
place of worship, in regard to whose erection we 
have the following quaint document: 

The humble petition of Johan Joost Herckheimer, 
of Burnet's Field, in the county of Albany, yeoman, 
in behalf of himself and the rest of the inhabitants. 
High Germans, living there, humbly sheweth 

That your petitioner and sundry other High Ger- 
mans to the number of one hundred families and up- 
wards, at present resident at Burnet's Field, in this 
province, propose with your Excellency's permission 
to erect a Stone Church on the South side of the 
River, upon a convenient spot of ground, already 










o ?; 






H ^ 



Church and State 109 

purchased by the Inhabitants for the worship of 
Almighty God, according to the discipline of the 
Reformed Protestant Dutch church. But finding 
themselves unable alone to furnish and complete 
the same, your petitioner therefore, in behalf of the 
said Inhabitants, humbly prays your Excellency will 
be favorably pleased to grant a Brief or Ly cense to 
crave the voluntary assistance and contribution of 
all well-disposed persons within this province, for 
completing the said structure altogether, intended for 
Divine Worship. 

And your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever 
pray 

JOHAN JOOST HERGHEIMER 

Fort George 

in 
New York 
October 6, 1751 • 
Be it so 

G. Clinton 

The building was erected but was not com- 
plete in 1757 when burned by the Indians, hence 
the following : 

To all Christian people to whom this shall come. 
Whereas the Inhabitants on the South side of the 
River of Burnet's Field on the German Flatts whereas, 
we are about to erect a Church wherein the High 
Dutch Language in the Protestant way should be 
preached. 

Before the late war, and when the war began, we 
were obliged to leave of building and in the war 
everything was discharged, and as we were desirous 



no The Historic Mohawk 

to have a place of worship, we have begun to build a 
Church, but we find ourselfs not able to finish the same, 
occasioned by the trouble we had in the war, that is to 
say, all our Houses and Bams, with all we had in them 
where burnt and our Horses and Cattle where killed 
and takeing away, and a great many our People take- 
ing Prisoner by the Enemy, which has enabled me 
to finish the Church. For them Reasons we have 
desired two of our Members that is to sa)' Johan Jost 
Herkemer and Hendrick Bell to enable us to have 
our Church finished and we hope all good people will 
take our cause in consideration, as we have no place of 
Worship now but a small Log House. 

We are, in behalf of the Congregation and ourselfs 
Gentlemen, 

Your most Humble Servants. 

AuGUSTiNus Hess 
Rudolf Schomaker 
Peter Vols 

N.B. — I being old and unable, I therefore send 
Peter Vols to do the business of collecting for me. 

JoHANN Jost Herchheimer. 

And the church was rebuilt. 
On the keystone over the arch above the wooden 
door was inscribed : 

"J. H. E. s. q. 1767" 

The structure, which was situated toward the 
extremity of the Flats fourteen miles west of 
Little Falls, was one story in height, dimensions 
forty -eight by fifty-eight feet. The walls were 
thick and there were square buttresses at the 



Church and State iii 

comers. In 1 756 this church, with other buildings 
was surrounded by an earthwork, under direction 
of Sir William Johnson, as a fortification against 
the Indians. The tower was open and contained a 
swivel. The pews in those days were bequeathed 
by will. In the year 181 1 four hundred dollars 
were spent in repairing this ancient building. 
The roof was raised and upper windows and a 
gallery were added. 

Owing to the spring floods a church had un- 
doubtedly been built on the north side prior to 
1757. In 1758 the Rev. Abraham Rosencrantz 
began his ministrations, taking in both sides of 
the river as part of his parish. In the absence of 
a clergyman, Dr. Petrie was accustomed to con- 
duct the services. 

This church also was burned in 1757. 

German Flatts, 
Aug. 20, 1770. 

I, on the end undersigned, testify hereby that I 
have given an acre of land for a High Dutch Reformed 
Church on the stone ridge, but whereas, the church, 
with all its writings, in the devastation of this place 
by the Indians anno 1757, in an unfortunate manner, 
has been burned away, and, whereas I have this land 
wherein this acre lies transferred to my son Dietrich 
and the same likewise did precede me to eternity, 
I John Jost Petry, testify that the oldest son of the 
deceased Dietrich must give other writings as soon 
as the same comes to his years and a new church, 



112 The Historic Mohawk 

with my consent , on the same acre of land build 
again. Such I do attest with my own hand and seal. 

his 
John Jost X Petry (L. S.) 

mark 

In presence 

Marcus Petry. 

In this connection, it will be right to notice 
what provision had been made for the spiritual 
wants of the red man. Dominie Megapolensis, 
who lived at Albany from 1642 to 1648, was the 
earliest Protestant clergyman to labor among the 
Mohawks, preaching to them fluently in their 
own tongue and winning great success. 

Little work was undertaken for many years 
after his departure, but a Hollander, the Rev. Mr. 
Dellius, was in the field previous to 1691, being 
an occasional visitor, and making use of the ser- 
vices of an interpreter. Rev. Mr. Lydius was 
engaged in the work about the same time, having 
a salary of sixty dollars per year. 

The Rev. Bernard Freeman, of Schenectady, 
labored in the Indian field five years, from about 
1700, and was to some extent successful, having 
applied himself to the mastery of the native tongue. 
He translated the Morning and Evening Prayers, 
Gospel of St. Matthew, portions of Genesis, 
Exodus, the Psalms, etc. 

In 1702, came the Rev. Mr. Talbot, under the 
auspices of the Society for the Propagation of the 



Church and State 113 

Gospel in Foreign Parts, followed, in 1704, by 
the Rev. Thoroughgood Moor, who met with but 
slight success. Mr. Moor was provided with a 
little house and a salary of one hundred pounds a 
year. He brought two servants, and was al- 
lowed twenty pounds for outfit and thirty pounds 
for passage money. He was author of the first 
book in the Mohawk language. Another Tongue 
brought in to confess the Great Saviour of the World. 
With him was associated a Mr. Smith, of whom 
little is known, but Mr. Moor remained for three 
years and is supposed to have been drowned on the 
return voyage. 

He was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Barclay, 
first rector of St. Peter's Church, Albany, who 
labored from 1708 toi7i2. Ini7io Mr. Barclay 
says, "From New York to the utmost bounds of 
my parish, there is no minister but myself. " 

During his pastorate the Fort Hunter chapel 
was built for Indian worshippers. 

In 1 712, the Rev. William Andrews succeeded 
the Rev. Mr. Barclay in his work among the 
Indians. In the Documentary History of New 
York, his reception is quaintly recorded in the 
following words: 

Then Terachjoris Sachim of Canajoharie, the upper 
Castle of the Mohawks Stood up and Sayed that he 
was deputed by those of that Castle to come to Albany 
to Receive in their name the Reverend Mr, William 
Andrews for their Minister who they understood is 



r 



114 The Historic Mohawk 

Sent, (on their Request) by the Great queen of Great 
Britain to Instruct them in the Christian Religion 
for the good of their Souls Ser\'ice, and Gave J^P 
Andrews his hand and promised for those of that 
Castle to give all the Protection and Incouragement 
unto him that shall lye in their power, 

Hendrick one of the Sachims of the IMaquas 
Country stood up and Say'd that he was very glad 
that y* Reverend M' W" Andrews was come over 
for their Minister to Instruct them in the Christian 
Religion for the Good of their Souls, and that he was 
deputed with those now here present by the other 
Sachims of that Castle to Receive him in their names 
for their Minister and father and promist for them- 
selfs and those of the s'* Castle to give him all the 
protection Incouragement and assistance possibly 
they can, and always be faithfull and obedient to him 
and doth heartly Return thanks to her Maj'^' the 
Great queen of Great Britain that She has been 
pleased to Grant their Requests and also to the 
hon"' Society for propagation of the Gospel in for- 
eign parts and doth thank his Excellency Robert 
Hunter Esq' &c and Coll" Nicolson for their Inter- 
cession in Getting their Request Granted the fruits 
whereof are now to be seen. 

Hendrick sayd further that he desired in y* name 
of the sd Sacliims of the Mohawks that none of their 
land might be clandestinely bought from any of them 
for that would breed a faction and disturbance among 
them and would be an occasion of lea\'ing their 
Coimtry and oblige them to go over to the Ottowawas 
or farr Indians where they should have no Christian 
Minister to Instruct them in the Christian Religion, 
nor that they should not be brought under that yoke 



Church and State 115 

as those at Canada are who are obliged to pay the 
tenths of all to their priests. Gave a belt of wampum. 

Mr. Andrews Reply 'd that he was not come for 
the lucre of their land nor to lay any burden on them 
but to Instruct them in the true Christian Religion 
and that no land Should be bought of them in a 
Clandestine Manor, if it Lays in his power to prevent 
it, and that the honourable Society had taken care to 
pay him. 

The Reverend Thomas Barclay desired that the 
Com" would be pleased to procure men, Slees and 
horses for Conveying the Goods of the Rev'' M' 
Andrews to the Mohawks Country and to pay the 
Charges thereof which they promised to do with all 
readjTiess. 

The Com" Gave the following presents to the 
Mohawk Indians viz' 6 kegs powder, 6 boxes of lead 
12 Blankets 12 Shirts 2 duffel Blankets 5 pair Stock- 
ings 200 flints & 50 lb. Shot. 

At a council held at Albany with the Indians 
in 1 7 14, Governor Hunter reminded them of their 
wish for a pastor and church, and then urged their 
better attendance. 

They replied: 

Brother Corlaer: 

You put us in mind that we desired a Minister in 
every one of our Castles to instruct us in the way to 
eternal life. We own that we desired it. But when 
we consider that the Christians here, when it is a 
Sabbath Day's what fine cloathes they have when 
they go to church and that goods are still so dear that 



ii6 The Historic Mohawk 

we can not purchase Sunday cloathes, but would be 
necessitated to go to church with an old bear skin 
and deer skin. We have deferred that matter till 
goods are cheaper, that we may have cloathes suit- 
able to go to church withall. 

The Rev. Mr, Andrews remained three years 
at the mission and had at one time thirty-eight 
communicants and some one hundred and fifty 
attendants as well as twenty Indian children, 
pupils at a little wooden schoolhouse near by. 
In the year 17 14, he had a part of Mr. Freeman's 
translation printed at the request of the latter 
and distributed, namely, The Morning and 
Evening Prayers, the Litany, the Church Cate- 
chism, Family Prayers, and several chapters of 
the Old and New Testaments. The reverend 
gentleman, however, became quite discouraged 
with his flock and sought another field in 17 19. 
"Heathen they are," he remarked, "and heathen 
they still will be." 

The Rev. Petrus Van Driessen succeeded Mr. 
Andrews in his work with the Indians and must 
have won their hearts for, in 1722, he makes the 
petition, at their request, that he may be per- 
mitted to continue service among them. He was 
granted a license to build a "meeting house for 
the Indians in the Mohawk's Country," and he 
probably did so. 

In the present village of St. Johnsville is located 
an old burying-ground on what is known to have 



Church and State 117 

been, before the Revolution, the site of the present 
Reformed Church. Just what the date of the 
erection is not known, but it is believed that 
Indians as well as white men worshipped there. 
The late Rufus Grider, a careful student of early 
Mohawk history, was of opinion that this land 
lies well within the limits of the Indian deed 
granted Rev. Mr. Van Driessen in 1732, and that 
it was, in fact, the site of the Indian chapel which 
he built. 

The deed is signed by eighteen Indians rep- 
resenting the clans of the Wolf, the Turtle, and 
the Bear. The tract granted lay "on the North 
side of the Mohawk River next west of the Warren 
Patent 1}/^ miles wide by 2^^ miles long" and was 
given to and for and in 

Consideration of the Love and good will and affection 
which we have and bear for the Rev*^ Petrus Van 
Driessen and Johannes Ehl — ministers of the Gospel 
and also in Consideration of the great Zeal, unwearied 
pains, Expences and trouble for these 20 years past 
by the above mentioned Peter Van Driessen and his 
fatherly care in the instructing of us and our People 
in the principles of the Christian Religion and faith, 
bringing us into the fold of Christ's church and par- 
takers of his Sacrament as a good and faithful Pastor 
of Christ's fold ought to do to our great satisfaction 
and credit. 

In 1 73 1 Rev. John Miln who had been rector 
of St. Peter's since 1723 arranged to pay twenty- 



ii8 The Historic Mohawk 

one visits a year of five days each, Henry Barclay 
assisted him as catechist. He had, in 1741, five 
hundred Indians under his care, of whom few, by 
1 743, remained unbaptized. The war with France 
interrupted his labors and he was succeeded in 
1746 by Rev. John Ogilvie, rector of St. Peter's. 
Amid great discouragements he persevered for 
many years, having as assistant Rev. John 
Jacob Oel, who remained until the beginning of 
the Revolution. The latter served at Cana- 
joharie, but afterward among the Oneidas. 

Mr. Ogilvie was succeeded in the work by Rev. 
Henry Munro, whose pastorate continued until 
177c, when he gave place to Rev. John Stuart. 
The Indian Castle church, built at Canajoharie 
by Sir William Johnson, was dedicated by Mr. 
Munro just at the close of his pastorate. 

From 1770 Rev. John Stuart, a popular and 
useful pastor, performed his duties until dis- 
turbed in 1775 by the approaching war. He was 
the last missionary among the Mohawks, preach- 
ing and conversing in their native tongue. 

Rev. Samuel Kirkland was the first Protestant 
minister among the Senecas, but misfortune at- 
tended his work, and, in 1666, he transferred his 
labors to the Oneida nation, with which he re- 
mained for more than forty years. He was much 
beloved by his people and his influence did much 
to preserve neutrality on their part during the 
Revolution. He served as chaplain at Fort 
Stanwix from 1776 to 1777. In 1784 he resumed 



Church and State 119 

his chosen work among the Indians. A convert 
and firm friend of this religious leader was the 
Indian chief Skenandoa, so noted for his elo- 
quence. The two are buried in the Hamilton 
College grounds and the red man's monument 
bears this inscription: 

SKENANDOA 

This monument is erected by the Northern Mis- 
sionary Society in testimony of their respect for the 
memory of Skenandoa, who died in the peace and hope 
of the Gospel, on the nth of March, 1816. Wise, 
eloquent and brave, he long swayed the counsels of 
his tribe, whose confidence and affection he eminently 
enjoyed. In the war which placed the Canadas under 
the crown of Great Britain, he was actively engaged 
against the French; in that of the Revolution, he 
espoused that of the colonics; and ever afterward 
remained a firm friend of the United States. Under 
the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Kirkland, he embraced 
the doctrines of the Gospel, and having exhibited their 
power in a long life adorned by every Christian virtue, 
he fell asleep in Jesus at the advanced age of one 
hundred years. 

Hamilton College was foimded in 1793, owing 
largely to the influence of Kirkland. 

On Jime 25, 1873, at the dedication at Hamilton 
College of the old Kirkland memorial, speeches 
were made by Thomas and David Skenandoa, 
brothers, and translated as follows: 

Brothers — We have come from our homes to 



120 The Historic Mohawk 

join hands with you to do honor to the memory of 
the friend of our forefathers. We remember the 
good Kirkland as the faithful friend of our great 
grandfathers. 

He was sent by the Good Spirit to teach the Indians 
to be good and happy. As the sun cometh in the 
early morning, so he came from the east in 1766, to 
gladden the hearts of my people and to cover them 
with the light of the Great Spirit. He came in and 
went out before them; he walked hand in hand with 
the great Sconondoa. 

As Kirkland was their counsellor, the physician, the 
spiritual father, friend, so was Sconondoa like the 
tall hemlock, the glory of our people, the mighty 
sachem and counsellor of the Iroquois and the true 
friend of the white man. His soul was a beam of 
fire, his heart was big with goodness, his head was 
like a clear lamp and his tongue was great in council. 

Kirkland was to my nation like a great light in a 
dark place. His sovd was like the sun, without any 
dark spots upon it, and we first learned through him 
to be good. Our father then gave him much land and 
he gave to your children Hamilton Oneida Academy. 

Where to-day are Kirkland and Sconondoa? 
They are gone! The Great Spirit reached out of his 
window and took them from us and we see them no 
more. When sixty-nine snows had fallen and melted 
away, the good Kirkland went to his long home. 

And at the age of 1 10 years we laid beside him John 
Sconondoa, the great sachem of the Iroquois. Arm 
in arm, as brothers, they walked life's trail; and, 
united in death, nothing can separate them; but they 
will go up together in the great resurrection. 



Church and State 121 

When they went down to their long sleep the night 
was dark; when the morning came it did not remove 
the darkness from our people. They wet their eyes 
with big drops and a heavy cloud was on them. 

The council fires of the Iroquois died and their hearts 
grew faint ; then our people scattered like frightened 
deer and we Indians here to-day standing by the 
mighty dead, are the only few of the once powerful 
Iroquois. They are all gone, but the deeds of Kirk- 
land and Sconondoa will never die; their memory is 
dear to us and will not fail ; so long as the sun lights 
the sky by day and the moon by night, we will rub 
the mould and dust from their gravestones and say : 

"Brothers, here sleep the good and the brave!" 

Through the influence of Sir William, a portion 
of Albany County was set off in 1772 and called 
Tryon, in honor of the Governor. It was likewise 
divided into five districts as follows: 

The first, or Mohawk district, to be bounded 
easterly by the west bounds of the township of 
Schenectada, north as far as the settlements shall 
extend south to the south bounds of the county, and 
west by a north and south line crossing the Mohawk 
at Anthony's Nose. 

The second, or Stone Arabia district, to be entirely 
on the north side of the river, bounded easterly 
by the west bounds of the late mentioned district, 
northerly as the former, and westwardly by a north 
and south line to cross the Mohawk River at the 
Little Falls. 

The third, or Canajoharie district, to be bounded 



122 The Historic Mohawk 

north by the Mohawk river, south by the bounds of 
the county, east by the west bounds of the first 
mentioned district, and west by the aforesaid line to 
be continued south from the Little Falls. 

The fourth, or Kingsland district, to be bounded 
southerly by the Mohawk river, easterly by a north 
line from the Little Falls, northerly and westerly as 
far as the settlements extend. 

The fifth, or German Flats district, to be bounded 
northerly by the Mohawk river, easterly by the line 
to be continued south of the Little Falls, southerly 
as far as the county' extends, and westerly by the 
boundary line settled at a treaty made in 1768. 

The county seat was located at Johnstown and, 
in 1772, a court-house and jail were erected under 
the superintendence of Sir William Johnson. 
Early court records show the payment of ex- 
penses incurred by members of Assembly and 
cash paid for the heads of wolves. 

In the year 1882, at the centennial celebration 
of the erection of this, the only colonial court still 
standing in the State of New York, the late Hon. 
Horatio Seymour, that eloquent orator and be- 
loved adopted son of our native valley, said, in 
part: 

While this country owes much to all European 
races, and to all religious creeds, we should never 
cease to be grateful that the Hudson and Mohawk 
were first colonized by the Hollanders, and thus these 
great portals to the interior of our country were 
thrown open to all lineages and all forms of religious 



Church and State 123 

faith and political opinion. It is the glory of our 
land that almost every European language is spoken 
at its firesides and used on each Sabbath in prayer 
and praise to the God of all languages and climes. 
Men of the valley of the Mohawk, you have grown 
rich on the land which your fathers made free at the 
cost of blood and trials. Your villages and farm- 
houses show your wealth. Do you bear in mind 
what you owe to your fathers? Do you show to the 
world that you honor them? Do you put up monu- 
ments to tell the great crowd which passes through 
your valley that the hills which rise from the banks of 
your river, and the streams which pass their waters 
into it, should be looked upon with reverence by every 
American? 

• •••••• 

I trust that this celebration will be followed by 
others in New York, held with a view to the erection of 
monuments or to bringing out the local histories which 
shall keep fresh in the mind of our people those events 
in the past which have shaped its destinies. We owe 
it to ourselves and to those who come after us, to keep 
the record clear. We owe it to our country to kindle 
the patriotism of our people by giving proof of the 
reverence in which we hold the memories of all who 
have made sacrifices for its welfare. The duty of 
honoring our fathers is not only enjoined as one of a 
religious character, or as a bond which strengthens 
family ties, but is also one which upholds and 
strengthens States. 



CHAPTER VI 

IN THE DAYS OF SIR WILLIAM — HOME. SCHOOL. 

AND SOCIETY 

THE first white men's homes in the Mohawk 
\'alley were, undoubtedly, log houses, or 
such rude buildings as the early pioneers could 
easily throw together until time sliould permit 
the planting and har\-esttng of crops. Similar 
structures continued to be erected for many years 
thereafter by all such hardy adventurers as "vs-ere 
then pushing forward into the unknown wilderness. 
They were reared by the Dutch of Schenectady 
and by t he lat er Palat ines of the upper valley . But 
more pretentious edifices followed. In Schenec- 
tady, early stood trim little rows of wooden 
houses, gable ends to the street, weather-cocks on 
vanes, and neat Dutch ovens protruding in the 
rear. Similar buildings were often made of 
Holland stvenen, and then the dates were anchored 
upon them or outlined in colored tiles. 

The late Judge Cady has thus described a 
colonial home of the period: 

We have seexi the t\-pe and warmed ourselves at 
the hospitable fireplace with crane, pothooks and 

1-4 



Home, School, and Society 125 

trammels occupying nearly the side of the room, whiU; 
outer doors were so opposed that a horse might draw 
in the huge log by one entrance, leaving by the other. 
Strange, too, to our childish eyes were the curious 
chimneys of tree limbs encrusted with mortar. Then 
the wide fireplace was universal ; the huge brick oven 
indispensable. Stoves were not, though an occasional 
Franklin was possessed. The turkey was oft cooked 
suspended before the crackling fire; the corncake 
baked in the low coal-covered bake kettle; the pota- 
toes roasted beneath the ashes and apples upon a 
ledge of bricks; nuts and cider were in store in every 
house. As refinement progressed and wealth ad- 
vanced, from the fireside wall extended a square 
cornice, perhaps six feet deep by ten feet wide, from 
which depended a brave valance of gay, printed chintz, 
or snowy linen, perchance decked with mazy network 
and tasseled fringe wrought by the curious hand of 
the mistress or her daughter. These, too, have we 
seen. 

• •••••• 

The hum of the great and the buzz of the little 
spinning wheel were heard in every home. By the 
great wheel, the fleecy rolls of wool, often hand 
carded, were turned into the firm yarns that, by the 
motion of deft fingers, grew into warm stockings 
and mittens, or, by the stout and shining loom, became 
gay coverlets of scarlet, or blue and white, or the 
graver "press cloth" for garb of women and children, 
or the butternut or brown or black homespun of men's 
wear. The little wheel mainly drew from twirling 
distaff the thread that should make the fine twilled 
linen, the glory and pride of mistress or maid who 



126 The Historic Mohawk 

could show her handiwork in piles of sheets, table- 
cloths and garments. Upon these, too, were often 
lavished garniture of curious needlework, hemstitch 
and herringbone and lace stitch. Plain linsey and 
linen wear were, too, fields for taste to disport in, while 
the patient and careful toil must not go unchronicled 
that from the wrecks of old and woni-out clothes pro- 
duced wondrous resurrection in the hit or miss or 
striped rag carpet, an accessory of so much comfort, 
so great endurance, and often so great beauty. . . . 
The well-sweep, or bubbling spring, supplied the clear, 
cold water. 

The women, like all American women of early 
times, were as thrifty and industrious as their 
husbands and sons were brave. They dipped their 
own candles and made their owti soap. There 
was no false aristocracy among them. They did 
not scorn to w^ash and bake and brew. Their 
housewifer}' was a matter of honest pride. They 
raised their own flax and sheared their owti sheep, 
and the big and little spinning-wheels adorned 
the living rooms. They wore short skirts, bodices 
with mutton-leg sleeves, white cuflfs, outside 
pockets, high-heeled shoes, and high combs, and 
indulged in snufl. ^\^len a maiden was married, 
no matter how young, she donned a beruffled 
white cap. Little time w^as spent in idleness. 
There was always spinning or sewing or knitting 
or darning or patching to be done, and when sleep 
came at last, it was the sweeter that it had been 
richlv earned. 



Home, School, and Society 127 

The girls, their mothers' help at home, all 
married young and became helpmeets indeed. 
The wedding was duly celebrated by the opening 
of the room. Horns and tin pans sometimes aided 
in producing jollification. Such an occasion once 
occurred in old Fort Herkimer at a time when 
Indians had come to take it by surprise. The 
red men, thinking from the unearthly din inside 
that some unusually vociferous and numerically 
powerful foe was ensconced within, hastened 
away in "double quick. " 

During life, the good people prepared for death, 
and laid in store the cask of wine one day to be 
used. No one was expected to attend a funeral 
without invitation. The Dutch sextons of Sche- 
nectady charged an extra shilling for each visit 
made beyond town limits on their errands of 
bidding guests, — to HofiEman's Ferry, three shill- 
ings more. 

The best room, sometimes called dood kamer, 
was in readiness. No women followed the pall- 
bearers to the grave, and, on the return of the 
party, all partook, at tables set for the occasion, 
of spiced wine and cake, while the men were pro- 
vided with pipes and tobacco. 

Some few slaves were owned by both Dutch 
and German settlers and were kindly treated. 
''Pels Nichol" punished the disobedient ones, and 
such appeal to their superstitious fears was 
generally all that was needed. 

Some of the wealthier farmers provided their 



128 The Historic Mohawk 

farm-hands with generous feasts at harvest time. 
The great hoHdays of the year were, of course, 
occasions for general merriment. Pinkster, the 
Low Dutch kept as holy day. Easter Monday, 
the young people celebrated with eggs colored 
in different tints. 

The missionary, Samuel Kirkland, said of the 
people of Amsterdam : 

The manner in wch ye ppl, in ye parts keep Xmas 
day in commemory of the Birth of ye Saviour as ya 
pretend is very affecting and strik'g. They generally 
assemble for read'g prayers or Divine service, but 
after They allow of no work or servile labour on ye 
day and ye following — their servants are free, but 
drinking, swearing, fighting and frolic'g are not only 
allowed, but seem to be essential to ye joy of ye day. 

Christmas celebrations lasted until after New 
Year's day. Upon New Year's eve, the large 
houses were aglow in all their rooms, reflecting a 
scene of great good cheer and merriment. There 
were open fireplaces, lighted candles, tables set 
with steaming bowls of punch, roasts of turkey, 
chicken, and pig, platters of headcheese, rolliches, 
souse, bread, pickles, olakoeks, and crullers, and 
nice triangular pieces cut from pies baked in 
enormous pewter platters. 

Then came the Dutch or German hymn and the 
speechmaking and jokes. Finally, after the table 
had been removed, came the fiddle and the dancing 
— the former often manipulated by black Sambo 



Home, School, and Society 129 

standing on a chair or in a corner, the latter 
executed by all, young and old, black and white, 
the men, for the most part, arrayed in homespun 
and the women in calico. 

New Year's calls were frequent. One of the 
salutations among the Low-Dutch-speaking part 
of the population ran when rendered into English 
thus : 

I wish you Happy New Year! 

Long may you live, happy may you die, 

And Heaven be yours bye and bye! 

We are often forcibly reminded that the 
Mohawk Dutch people were not Puritans. "A 
Dutchman loves his horse more than he does his 
wife" is a saying, and though we dispute the truth 
of this proposition, the Mohawk Dutchman always 
loved his horse. There was horse trading at the 
inn, and horse-races were always a favorite 
amusement. 

The Dutchman, too, loved beer, and it flowed 
plentifully upon his table. Nevertheless, we do 
not think that he loved strong drink any better 
than most of the colonists of other races. He took 
beer pure and simple, and never developed a 
taste for the mixed drinks common to other 
localities. There was much liquor, but little 
drunkenness. 

Said the late Hon. Robert Earl : 

The Mohawk Germans were not Puritans and they 
9 



130 The Historic Mohawk 

certainly did not believe that their religion ought 
to take the sunshine out of their lives. They were 
robust men and fond of robust sports. They feared 
God and read their Bibles and were generally honest, 
good neighbors, thrifty and industrious and their vir- 
tues, I believe, were as little shaded with vices as 
those of any body of people at that time anywhere 
in the country or in England. 

These same farmers, who had been taught the 
Heidelberg Catechism and were generally church 
members, were also punctual attendants upon the 
Sunday morning services. They often spent the 
afternoon in visiting among themselves, as their 
German progenitors had been wont to do before 
them. 

Being jolly, open-hearted people, they were 
given to hospitality, and few were ever turned 
away from the door. 

No more striking figure left its impress upon 
the later colonial life of the Mohawk Valley than 
that of Sir William Johnson — after 1753, Baronet. 
Coming to the valley, a young Irishman of 
excellent descent, in the year 1738, he assumed 
charge of the estates of his uncle, Sir Peter 
Warren, who had purchased much land in that 
region. 

He located first in the vicinity of the present 
Amsterdam. There he started a country store 
and installed as his housekeeper a young German 
girl named Catharine Weisenberg, whom he 
bought from her apprenticeship and to whom he 




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Home, School, and Society 131 

was soon after legally married. Later buildings 
erected in the vicinity gave the location in time 
the name "Johnson's Settlement." Here John 
Johnson, his son, was bom in 1742. A good 
grist-mill and the fine old stone house hereto- 
fore described, named Mount Johnson from a little 
hill near by on which the watch was kept, were 
finished in 1742. In this house were bom Sir 
William's two daughters, Nancy and Mary. 

An early death was the fate of Sir William's 
German wife. In 1747 a new mistress was in- 
stalled in the house, — Caroline, niece of the 
famous Indian chief, "King Hendrick," daughter 
of his brother Abraham. William of Canajoharie 
and two daughters were the fruit of this imion, 
which was undoubtedly an excellent one from 
political motives, immensely strengthening Sir 
William's powerf\il influence with the Indians. 

Caroline died in 1753, and very soon her niece, 
the fascinating Molly Brant, sister of the famous 
Joseph Brant, became the housekeeper and com- 
panion of Sir William Johnson. This "Brown 
Lady," then but sixteen years of age, was the 
mother of eight children during the following 
twenty years. 

In 1755, Mount Johnson became Fort Johnson. 
In 1746, Sir Peter Warren's nephew had been 
appointed commissioner of Indian affairs. After 
the battle of Lake George, November 2'], 1753, 
he was known as Sir William Johnson, Baronet. 

The coat of arms to which he was now 



132 The Historic Mohawk 

entitled bore for its motto "Deo Regique Debeo." 
The design consisted of a shield supported by two 
Indians and decorated with three fleur-de-lis. A 
band across the shield was adorned with two 
shells with a heart between them, on which lay 
an open hand. The shield itself was heart- 
shaped and another hand above it held a dart. 

In the old, gray mansion grew up to womanhood 
Sir William's two daughters, Mary and Nancy. 
They are described as tall, handsome girls with 
beautiful hair which they wore neatly braided and 
tied with pretty ribbons. How they must have 
brightened the winter landscape with their 
scarlet coats, and how picturesque in summer 
as they strolled in the garden arrayed in chintz 
wrappers and green silk petticoats! Provided 
with an English governess, they were kept much 
in seclusion. They read their Prayer Books, 
their Bibles, the latest romances, and Rollin's 
Ancient History. They cared for their flowers 
and their birds, and were expert in finest needle- 
work. Walks in summer, sledge-drives in winter,' 
shuttlecock, sometimes, of an evening, — these 
were their simple diversions. Nancy was married 
to Daniel Claus in 1762; Mary married Sir Guy 
Johnson, her cousin, in 1763. 

At the expense ofSir William's purse and estate, 
his Indian confederates thronged about Fort 
Johnson at state times for counsel or for impending 
war ; dark-browed warriors invading the homestead 
and the squaws cooking in the camps erected along 



Home, School, and Society 133 

the fertile flats. Here often stalked the re- 
doubtable Brant, crafty yet generous, well edu- 
cated and polished, remarkable for courage as 
well as for courtesy, pleasing of face, symmetrical 
of figure, erect, dignified, tall, of lofty bearing and 
commanding presence. 

There might sometimes have been seen the 
chief, Abraham, father of Caroline, and his 
elder brother, the tall, somewhat corpulent and 
"venerable and noble-looking old chief King 
Hendrick," it may be, on state occasions^ "splen- 
didly arrayed in a suit of light blue, made in an 
antique mode and trimmed with broad satin lace" 
— the very suit bestowed upon him by royalty 
on his momentous visit to London so many 
years before. 

There, too, was Mistress Molly's father, Niclaus 
Brant, diplomatic father of a distinguished son, 
taciturn, courteous, — a man well fitted for the 
diplomatic errands on which he was sometimes 
employed. 

Still another distinguished figure of the times 
was hospitably entertained at Fort Johnson in the 
year 1749, — the Swedish naturalist, Kalm, who 
bore a letter of introduction from Cadwallader 
Colden. Provided with a guide to Niagara and 
letters of recommendation to Captain Lindsay, 
at Oswego, the guest wrote a letter of warm 
thanks from the latter place in recognition] of 
the courtesy. 

^Memoirs of an American Lady, p. 25. 



134 The Historic Mohawk 

Says the Rev. Mr. Hawley, missionary to the 
Six Nations: 

On Friday (May 25, 1753) we left Albany. Mr. 
Woodbridge and I set out for Mount Johnson, about 
thirty-six miles off, on Mohawk river, to pay our 
compliments to Colonel Johnson and obtain his coun- 
tenance in favour of our mission. At noon we came 
to Schenectady, a town in some respects similar to 
Albany, but more pleasant. We crossed the ferry 
and by a letter from Colonel Jacob Wendell of Boston, 
were introduced to his friend, Major Glen, who 
hospitably received us. Having dined, we proceeded, 
and had a very pleasant ride up the Mohawk river, 
on the north side. At sunset we were politely received 
at Colonel Johnson's gate by himself in person. Here 
we lodged. His mansion was stately, and situate a 
little distance from the river, on rising ground, and 
adjacent to a stream which turned his mill. This 
gentleman was well known in his civil, military and 
private character. He was the first civil character 
in the county of Albany at that day. And after this, 
by means of the war, which commenced in 1755, and ^ 
his connection with the Indians, of whom he was ap- 
pointed sole superintendent for that part of the conti- 
nent, he arose to great eminence. In 1756 he was 
made a baronet. It was favorable to our mission to 
have his patronage, which I never lost. . . . Mr. 
Woodbridge and I took our leave of him in the morn- 
ing, rode up to the ford and crossed the river and came 
over to the south side and rode to what was called the 
Mohawk castle, near which was a stone chapel and 
a village of Indians, situate on Schoharry creek, not 



Home, School, and Society 135 

far from the place where it discharges its waters into 
the Mohawk. 

Some description of the lord of the manor has 
been entertainingly given by Mrs. Anne McVickar 
Grant in her accoimt of her journey through the 
wilderness of that period. 

He was an uncommonly tall well-made man 
with a fine countenance which, however, had rather 
an expression of dignified sedateness, approaching to 
melancholy. He appeared to be taciturn, never 
wasting words on matters of no importance, but 
highly eloquent when the occasion called forth his 
powers. 

Mrs. Julia Grant, still another interesting 
writer and traveller of the day, amplifies the 
picture thus: 

^ A little scant of six feet high say five feet eleven 
and a half inches, neck massive, shoulders broad, 
chest deep and ftdl, limbs large and showing every 
sign of great physical strength. Head large and finely 
shaped. Countenance open, frank and always beam- 
ing with good nature and good humor, — a real Irish- 
man he is for wit. Eyes large, black-gray or grayish 
black. Hair dark brown, with a tinge of auburn in 
certain lights. 

She speaks also of his great hospitality, of the 
delicacies and rare wines his board affords, of his 

' Reprinted from Buell's Sir William Johnson. Copyright, 
1903, by D. Appleton and Company. 



136 The Historic Mohawk 

delightful conversation racy with Indian anecdote 
and rich in knowledge of the authors of the day. 

That Sir William already devoted many of 
his spare moments to self-improvement we leam 
from an order sent from him to London, of date 
1749, in which he requires, besides several works 
on philosophy and history, several fine prints, 
pencils, writing-paper, sealing wax, "a good globe 
to ha^g in the hall with light," "a good French 
horn, with the notes," "a good common hunting 
horn," "a good loud trumpet," "the pictures of 
some of the best running horses at New Market. " 

The following document is something to the 
same purpose. 

Mount Johnson, August the 20th, 1752. 
Sir: 

Having the pleasure of an intimate acquaintance 
with your brother, Doctor Shuckbrugh of New York 
whom I have a singular regard for, induced me to 
apply to you for what I may want in your way, 
although but a trifle. Having lately had a pretty 
large collection of books from London, shall at present 
only desire you will please to send me what pamphlets 
are new and worth reading, also the Gentleman's 
Magazine from Nov'br 1750 to the last, and the 
Monthly Review from the same time ; also the News- 
papers regularly and stitched up. You have only to 
deliver them to Mr. George Liberwood, merch't 
there, who will forward them to me, and will pay your 
am't yearly. 

Having nothing farther to add at present (but beg 



Home, School, and Society 137 

you will send me those things regularly and punctu- 
ally) I conclude sir, 

Y'r very humble serv't, W. J. 
To Mr. Shuckbrugh, stationer, London. 

Meanwhile, settlements were rapidly spreading 
along the valley. George Clarke, appointed, in 
1736, Governor of the Colony of New York, built, 
in 1738, the first house within the present village 
of Fort Plain. It was situated on the site of 
the late A. J. Wagner's home, and was forty feet, 
or nearly, in width, and two stories high, with fine 
spacious rooms, broad halls, and wide staircase 
provided with white oaken balustrades. Gover- 
nor Clarke's pleasure boats were anchored on the 
river. He distinguished himself by keeping a 
few pet goats. These worthy animals presently 
disappeared and were eventually found ranging 
at will the high hills of the present Gyssenberg — 
thus happily named for them. But Governor 
Clarke's family did not take kindly to the in- 
hospitable and secluded wilderness, and residence 
there was brief. 

Near Palatine Church the pioneer settler, Johan 
Peter Wagner, built, in 1750, a stone building, 
still standing. At about the same period was 
reared Fort House, so named in honor of its 
builder. Christian House, who erected it for 
George Klock. The home of Gosen Van Alstyne, 
at the present Canajoharie, was of about the same 
date. 



138 The Historic Mohawk 

Hendrick Henry Frey, a native of Zurich, 
Switzerland, erected a log house in the xacinity 
of P:ilatine Bridge, somewhat pre\'ious to 1700, 
and there lived in peace ^^ith his Indian neighbors. 
In 1739, there rose in its place the historic stone 
building which still stands N\-ith its many port- 
holes, and which was stockaded during tlie Frencli 
and Indian wars. 

Early in the eighteenth century, the Rev. 
Jacob Ehle. an accomplished minister of the 
Gospel, settled a mile or two west of Mr. Frey. 
He is believed to have occupied a wooden build- 
ing at first, but, in 1752, his son Peter built a 
one-story stone dwelling which also stands, with 
the date plainly visible on its side. 

The oldest house in the present town of Johns- 
town is know as the Dnimm House. It was built 
during the days of Sir William, in 1763, and was, in 
its time, occupied by the earliest village school- 
teacher. 

Walter Butler, with three others, received a 
grant from the Crown on December 31, 1735, of 
4000 acres of land in the neighborhood of Johns- 
town. In 1743. he built the frame house kno^^^l 
as the Butler House, still standing on Switzer 
Hill. This Walter Butler was a man of excellent 
Irish descent, and served as lieutenant in the 
British employ for many years. 

Situated on a lofty eminence commanding a 







2 1 






Home, School, and Society 139 

magnificent view of the valley and the distant 
Mohawk stands this wooden relic of the storied 
past, built of white oak timbers, its outward- 
opening doors provided with half -moons, and its 
two trap doors in olden time enclosed in a secret 
passageway leading from top to bottom of the 
house, its huge beams, its quaint fireplace, and its 
small room with double doors and tiny windows, 
in which it is said a maniac was once confined. 

A writer of the times gives us in the Document- 
ary History of New York something of a picture 
of the valley as it was in 1757, shortly after the 
destruction of the Palatine's village. Some idea 
of the devastation of that beautiful region may be 
formed from the statement that eight houses, 
and those abandoned, were to be seen between 
Palatine village and the Little Falls. 

From Palatine to the Little Falls, still continuing 
on the left bank of the Mohawk, is estimated about 
three leagues. In this distance there are but eight 
houses, which have been abandoned. The portage at 
Little Falls is a quarter of a league and is passed with 
carts. 

From the portage to Colonel Johnson's mansion is 
twelve leagues. In the whole of this distance the soil 
is good. About a hundred houses are erected at a 
distance one from the other. The greater number of 
those on the bank of the river are built of stone. 
Those at a greater distance from the river in the 
interior are about half a league off; they are the new 
settlements and are built of wood. 



140 The Historic Mohawk 

There is not a fort in the whole distance of twelve 
leagues. There is but one house, built of stone, that is 
somewhat fortified and surrounded with pickets. 

The above description pertains to the left 
or northern bank of the river. Following the 
right bank about one hundred houses might have 
been found between Indian Castle and Fort 
Hunter, — from Fort Hunter to Schenectady some 
twenty or thirty more. Schenectady contained 
about three hundred houses. 

The Indian inhabitants of the day began to 
make quite a respectable showing. Many of them 
were attired like white men and erected frame 
buildings like theirs. Such a house had Niclaus 
Brant at Canajoharie, who owned as good a 
farm as many a white man and kept it cultivated 
as well. Mrs. Anne McVickar Grant thus de- 
scribes the home of King Hendrick, of the Upper 
Canajoharie Castle. 

The first day we came to Schenectady, a little town, 
situated in a rich and beautiful spot, and partly 
supported by the Indian trade. The next day we 
embarked, proceeded up the river with six bateaux, and 
came early in the evening to one of the most charming 
scenes imaginable, where Fort Hendrick was built; 
so called, in compliment to the principal sachem, a 
king of the Mohawks. The castle of this primitive 
monarch stood at a little distance, on a rising ground, 
surrounded by palisades. He resided, at the time, 
in a house which the public workmen, who had lately 



Home, School, and Society 141 

built this fort, had been ordered to erect for him in the 
vicinity. We did not fail to wait upon his majesty, 
who, not choosing to depart too much from the cus- 
toms of his ancestors, had not permitted divisions of 
apartments or modern furniture to profane his new 
dwelHng. It had the appearance of a good barn, and 
was divided across by a mat hung in the middle. 
King Hendrick, who had indeed a very princely figure, 
and a countenance that would not have discredited 
royalty, was sitting on the floor beside a large heap 
of wheat, surrounded with baskets of berries of 
different kinds; beside him, his son, a very pretty 
boy, somewhat older than myself, was caressing a 
foal, which was unceremoniously introduced into the 
royal residence. A laced hat, a fine saddle and pistols, 
gifts of his good brother the great king, were hung 
round on the cross beams. He was splendidly ar- 
rayed in a coat of pale blue, trimmed with silver; 
all the rest of his dress was of the fashion of his own 
nation, and highly embellished with beads and other 
ornaments. All this suited my taste exceedingly and 
was level to my comprehension. I was prepared to 
admire King Hendrick by hearing him described as a 
generous warrior, terrible to his enemies and kind 
to his friends ; the character of all others calculated to 
make the deepest impression on ignorant innocence, 
in a country where infants learned the horrors of war 
from its vicinity. Add to all this that the monarch 
smiled, clapped my head and ordered me a little 
basket, very pretty, and filled by the officious kind- 
ness of his son, with dried berries. Never did princely 
gifts, or the smile of royalty produce more ardent 
admiration and profound gratitude. I went out of the 
royal presence overcome and delighted and am not 



142 The Historic Mohawk 

sure but I have liked kings all my life the better for this 
happy specimen to which I was so early introduced. 
Had I seen royalty, properly such, invested with all 
the pomp of European magnificence, I should possibly 
have been confused and over-dazzled. But this was 
quite enough and not too much for me — and I went 
away, lost in a reverie, and thought of nothing but 
kings, battles and generals for many days after. 

At about the conclusion of the last French 
War, Sir William caiiie into possession of large 
estates, near the present Johnstown, known as the 
Kingsborough Patent, and consisting of twenty- 
six thousand acres. About 1763 he moved to 
Johnson Hall, which he had then just completed. 
There he continued to lead a life unique, combining 
enjoyment of nature with the courtliness and 
grace of the cultured mem of the world. At 
Johnson Hall, the handsome brown "Lady Molly " 
reigned as mistress and her dark -eyed brood called 
Sir William father. Tall Indian forms darkened 
his doors and loitered at will in the spacious halls. 
To them, as Indian agent, he distributed yearly 
presents. He was their brother, their regularly 
adopted chief. 

His integrity, his sagacity, his generosity, 
his eloquence, commanded their respect; his 
brotherliness won their hearts; his magnificence 
secured their awe, and wdth this he spared no 
pains to impress them. He drove in a coach 
and six to his Johnstowrn church, where he sat 
in the only canopied pew except that reserved 



Home, School, and Society 143 

for his Majesty, the King, and displayed an ele- 
gant Prayer-Book, He attended the Indian coun- 
cils attired and painted in barbaric magnificence, 
and entertained his red-skinned guests with lavish 
hospitality, providing the rank and file with open 
camps and feasting the chiefs at his board with 
smoking meats and tankards of ale. 

The out-of-door sports most in favor were 
fishing, hunting, and horse-racing, and for all 
of these there was abundant opportunity. Ath- 
letics and games of physical skill and endurance 
were open not only to the white guests but to the 
Indians. Of these Doctor Wheelock says: 

*I have seen at Mt. Johnson, also at Johnson Hall, 
60-80 Indians at one time lodging under tents on the 
lawn and taking meals from tables made of pine- 
board spread under trees. They were delegations 
from the Iroquois tribes, come to powwow with their 
great, white brother. 

The Indians were wont to salute Sir William 
with cries of "Warra! Warra!" intended as an 
abbreviation of his Indian title " Warragh-i-ya- 
gey" conferred upon him at the time he was made 
their white chief at Johnson Hall. 

In December, 1764, Sir William wrote: 

I have at present every room in my house full of 
Indians and the prospect before me of continual busi- 

1 Reprinted from Buell's Sir William Johnson. Copyright, 
1903, by D. Appleton and Company. 



144 The Historic Mohawk 

ness all the winter, as the Shawnees and Delawares 
may be expected in a few days. 

When the Indians were sleepy they rolled them- 
selves up in blankets on the floor, or stretched 
themselves on pallets of fox or beaver skins. 

But the same Hall that sheltered the Indians 
entertained other distinguished guests. Stately 
dames and gallant cavaliers danced and rested 
in the old mansion, or shared in the cultivated 
pleasures provided by the host. Communication 
with a London bookstore kept him in touch with 
the latest works, which graced his library. There 
were to be found rare and recent books and prints. 
Astronomy was his delight, and he revelled in 
botany. 

Dinner took place at six, the guests being in 
full evening dress. The table was supplied not 
only with the best the valley could afford, but 
also with many delicacies imported from beyond 
the seas. Slaves waited at meals, while "BiUy, " 
the musician, coaxed sweet strains from his violin. 

Among the neighbors and intimate friends of 
Sir William at Johnson Hall was the Butler 
family — ^John and Walter, son and grandson of 
Walter Butler, Senior, who had erected the 
Butler homestead near Switzer Hill. John Butler 
was a short, stout -built man, but active, courage- 
ous, and firm, somewhat rough in appearance 
but not unpleasing. He had a habit of speaking 
rapidly when excited. 



Home, School, and Society 145 

The younger Butler, Walter, grew up with Sir 
William's son, afterward Sir John, his playmate 
in boyhood, his friend in later life — a handsome 
youth with delicate features and refined manner. 

Gen. Philip Schuyler was a frequent visitor 
at the Hall, tall, dark, erect, of a bearing which 
seemed to strangers somewhat haughty, but a man 
withal of the greatest graciousness and kindliness 
of heart. 

Sir John is described as having aquiline features, 
thin lips, cold expression, and a complexion that 
was blond by inheritance from his German mother 
and florid from over-indulgence in wine. 

There was gay attire at Johnson Hall, for lords 
and ladies were there at times, from overseas. 
There were powdered wigs and silken gowns and 
silver buckles and all that made for the elegance 
and fashion of the times. 

Lady Susan 0' Brian, daughter of Stephen Fox, 
the first Earl of Ilchester, and sister of Lady 
Harriet Ackland, was a sprightly visitor to the 
Hall, in June, 1765. Then recently married to 
a yoimg actor, she had displeased her family by 
the step, — hence her visit to the new world. 
That this visit was an agreeable one we learn from 
her delightful letters, in one of which Molly 
Brant is kindly alluded to as a "well-bred and 
pleasant lady. " Lord Adam Gordon was a visitor 
at the same time and on his return to England 
took with him Sir William's son, John Johnson, 
for a sojourn in that country. 



10 



146 The Historic Mohawk 

All alike, Indian and white man, paid courtliest 
respect to "Brown Lady Johnson," who filled 
her post with grace. Lady Molly was the 
daughter of the eldest sister of Caroline, her 
predecessor in Sir William's affections and had, 
herself, received a common school education. 
In his dealings with Indians who failed to conform 
easily to his point of view, the lord of the manor 
frequently called his "Brown Lady" to his assist- 
ance, and, he gallantly asserted, she always 
"mollified" them. 

Says General Philip Schuyler: 

^ Mary Brant was a most accomplished mistress of 
such an establishment and her numerous flock of 
little half-breed Johnsons forms as interesting a 
family as one can see anywhere. They attend the 
manor school at Johnstown, and, I am told, they are 
among the smartest of the pupils. Sir William is 
exceedingly proud of them and loses no opportunity 
of exhibiting their graces and acquirements to his 
guests. He intends to send his two half-breed boys to 
the New King's College in New York and the girls he 
will educate as they grow up in Mrs. Pardee's School 
for Young Ladies at Albany. 

The out-of-door sports most in favor for the 
entertainment of guests were fishing, hunting, 
driving, horse-racing, and contests of strength and 
skill. The games were open to white men and red 

« Reprinted from Buell's Sir William Johnson. Copyright, 
1903, by D. Appleton and Company. 



Home, School, and Society 147 

alike, and small prizes were given as rewards of 
success. 

He established, moreover, at Broadalbin a 
handsome summer house, to which, by way of 
variety, he gave welcome to his guests. On the 
south bank of Sacandaga Creek, about fourteen 
miles to the north, he also built a taut little 
cottage known as the "Fish House," a pretty 
one-story lodge painted white with green shutters. 

Here parties of ladies and gentlemen spent 
their days in baiting the finny game, and in the 
fall the gentlemen tried their guns on the water- 
fowl. 

Spring, summer, and fall were the visiting 
months at Johnson Hall, the guests being from all 
along the valley — from Albany, New York and 
from across the seas. The gardener kept the 
grounds exquisitely neat and luxuriant in bloom. 
The finest blooded stock, the choicest seeds im- 
ported from London, — these had come to the 
baronet's stables and orchards, and now furnished 
their quota to the entertainment of his guests. 

A dozen slaves, attired like Indians, save that 
they wore coats, lived in wooden cabins across 
the Cayudetta. Across the road stood the homes 
of the blacksmith and tailor. 

The visitor to Johnson Hall to-day will find the 
historic building situated on a gently rising 
eminence on the bank of the Cayudetta. Where 
the ground gradually begins to slope from the 
level, is found located a fine marble statue of the 



148 The Historic Mohawk 

baronet on a commanding pedestal. As we 
cross the quiet plain we pass over the spot on 
which the Indians once were wont to encamp, and 
on the right is "the brook" to which the squaws 
carried their papooses to be washed. Entering 
the grounds we see the fallen remnants of an 
ancient poplar or two, and a stone block-house, 
still standing, one of the two of long ago. 

Two stories high, the building is clapboarded to 
represent stone. Vast and elegant the mansion 
was for the day it was built, with its large wain- 
scoted rooms, great halls, and broad staircase. 
On the balustrade may be seen the hatchet marks 
of Joseph Brant when, in a fit of anger, it is said, 
at Sir John, he defaced the railing at every step. 

Many a relic of the past may now be seen at 
the mansion — Sir William's cane, the ledger in 
which, in his own clear hand, are inscribed the 
names of his tenants, a little half-worn shoe 
belonging to one of his half-breed children, a great 
Indian tomahawk, and a lovely painting of Lady 
McLeod, who, with her husband, was sometimes 
a visitor at Johnson Hall. 

About the year 1770, Johnstown had growTi 
to be quite a thriving village of five hundred 
people and one hundred dwellings, with a chapel, 
a yellow schoolhouse, and a few stores and shops. 
The land on which it was situated belonged to the 
Kingsborough Patent, granted in 1753 to Arent 
Stevens "and others," of whom Johnson would 
seem to have been one. To the one hundred or 



Home, School, and Society 149 

more families to whom portions of this had been 
leased or sold, he added, in 1773, a body of six 
hundred Scotch Highland kinsm.en, all Roman 
Catholics, all firm adherents of himself and, in 
later days, of his family. 

Meanwhile, the baronet had already built, 
at the comer of the present William and Main 
streets, the little, long, yellow building for the 
children of Molly Brant, to which any were 
welcome, little Indians and all. In 1771, he 
advertised in the New York papers for a person 
"proficient" in reading, writing, and arithmetic. 
An Irishman named Wall was chosen who * * spared 
not the rod. " He taught the children incidentally 
to bow and scrape, to say "good morning," and 
to be polite. In front of the schoolhouse, by way 
of warning, stood the stocks and whipping-post. 

At Canajoharie Castle, as early at 1764, there 
was established an Indian school, taught by an 
Indian, Philip Jonathan. In the German settle- 
ments generally, the early schools were taught in 
the German tongue. The education of Sir John 
was confided to the care of Dominie Vrooman 
and other clergymen, and to these reverend gentle- 
men, the Dutch dominies of the day, many of the 
more eminent of our Mohawk Valley forefathers 
doubtless owed such superiority of attainment 
in learning as they possessed. 

Gilbert Tice was an innkeeper at Johnstown 
during the baronet's time, but the story goes 
that no traveller of note was allowed to spend a 



150 The Historic Mohawk 

night there, Sir WilHam entertaining such guests 
invariably at his stately home. 

Gosen Van Alstyne, also regaled travellers in 
the fine, stone mansion on Scramling's Kill, the 
present Canajoharie Creek. 

Mr. Richard Smith, who passed through the 
valley in May, 1769, was entertained by a Mr. 
Clench, of Schenectady and spoke favorably of 
both landlord and inn. 

In 1766, Sir William built for his daughter 
Mary and her husband, his nephew, a fine wooden 
building known as Guy Park. Having been, it 
is said, destroyed by lightning, it was afterward 
rebuilt of limestone. Wide piazzas at front and 
rear, deep alcoved windows, wide halls and stair- 
ways, and large cheerful rooms rendered this a 
very attractive home, surrounded with the 
solemn woods and with the romantic Mohawk 
for a background. For his daughter Nancy and 
her husband, Colonel Claus, he built another 
mansion which was situated somewhat east of 
Fort Johnson, and was burned during the Rev- 
olution. To each of these houses were attached 
some six hundred and forty acres of surrounding 
land. Sir John occupied Fort Johnson from the 
time of his father's removal to Johnson Hall. Of 
the half-breed children of Caroline, King Hen- 
drick's niece, William, known as "William of Can- 
ajoharie," did not live at Johnson Hall, but with 
his uncle "Little Abe," at Canajoharie Castle. 
The older daughter, Charlotte, afterward married 







c 
c 



K 



a 



6C 

o 



Home, School, and Society 151 

Henry Randall, at first of the king's service but 
later of our own. The younger of the two 
daughters, Caroline, is believed to have married 
Walter N. Butler. 

Sir John Johnson married in 1773, the "lovely 
Polly Watts," daughter of John Watts, of New 
York, a young lady of amiability and social dis- 
tinction. The happy pair enjoyed a week-long 
trip up the romantic Hudson when it was a wilder 
river than it is now, clothed in luxuriant verdure. 
At Albany and Schenectady they were f^ted and 
entertained, and completed the journey at last 
by bateau to the gloomy, grand old mansion. Fort 
Johnson, which was to be their home. Previous 
to his marriage. Sir John had discarded Miss 
Claire Putnam, a beautiful woman, of good Mo- 
hawk Valley descent, with whom he had hitherto 
lived as his wife, and who now, with her children, 
took refuge in Canada. 

Once more the scene was about to change. 
Already the shadow of the war that was to come 
was resting upon the nation. Distracted by his 
love for his neighbors, the Palatine and Low Dutch 
settlers of the valley, and his loyalty to the Crown, 
Sir William was not at rest. He is quoted as 
having given utterance in Jiily, 1774, to the follow- 
ing speech: 

^ All this trouble must lead to blows before long. A 

' Reprinted from Buell's Sir William Johnson. Copyright, 
1903, by D. Appleton and Company. 



152 The Historic Mohawk 

serious collision may happen any day now. The 
Colonists cannot retreat, and the King, apparently, 
will not. I am filled with forebodings. I dread the 
coming of a struggle that must shake the British 
Empire to its foundations. For my part I can only 
say now that I shall not be found on the side of the 
aggressor. 

For some years his health had been slowly 
failing. Anxiety now preyed upon his mind. 
Many a time had his restraining hand been upon 
the red men of the valley to prevent an out- 
break against the whites. Recent injuries done 
his allies in the South, atrocities committed by 
unscrupulous pale-faces, had raised the seething 
spirits of the outraged savages to the boiling 
point. Sir William gave them audience on 
Saturday, July 9, 1774. He replied in the burn- 
ing style of Indian eloquence on the following 
Monday, urging them to patience and promising 
justice. The pipes were smoked, the wampum 
belts were given, and the answer on their part was 
promised for the following day. Stricken with 
the burning heat through which, for two hours, 
he had been speaking, Sir William became sick 
unto death, exclaiming to Joseph Brant, who 
helped to carry him into the Hall : 

^"Joseph, control your people! Control your 
people! I am going away!" 

Shortly after he passed from earth. 

1 Reprinted from Buell's Sir William Johnson. Copyright, 
19031 by D. Appleton and Company. 



Home, School, and Society 153 

Hastily summoned, Sir John Johnson galloped 
from his home at Fort Johnson in hot haste to the 
bedside of his dying father, the first horse he 
mounted dropping dead on the way. But he was 
too late. 

Mourned by all who knew him, the body of the 
baronet was presently laid to rest beneath the 
altar in his Johnstown church. He provided liber- 
ally for all those nearest him in blood, Sir John 
receiving far the largest share. This clause of 
his will is characteristic of the man : 

I do earnestly recommend my son to show lenity 
to such of my tenants as are poor and an upright con- 
duct to all mankind which will on reflection afford 
more satisfaction to a noble and generous mind than 
greatest opulence. 

A great man had been laid to rest and in his 
place now reigned his son. The days of Sir 
William were at an end. 



CHAPTER VII 

RIFLE AND TOMAHAWK 

"An officer in the gallery leaned over the edge, 
waving his gold-laced hat. 

" ' God save the King! ' he roared, and many an- 
swered, ' God save the King ! ' but that shout was 
drowned by a thundering outburst of cheers: ' God 
save our country! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!'" 

Cardigan. 

The national debt of Great Britain, greatly 
increased through the war with France, and 
now amounting to nearly three hundred and 
twenty millions of dollars, hung heavily over 
the government at home. The mother coimtry 
taxed her American colonies to help support 
the weight. In England there were not wanting 
noble minds to sympathize with America and 
eloquent tongues were there to plead her cause. 

The first bill of this character, imposing duty 
on clayed sugar, indigo, etc., was passed in 1764. 
In the same year a resolution laying certain stamp 
duties upon the colonies was brought to the front 
to be acted upon at the next meeting of Parliament. 
The colonies now took every means of expressing 

154 



Rifle and Tomahawk 155 

disapproval. Nevertheless, in March, 1765, the 
bill came before the House of Commons. Charles 
Townsend, in its favor, said : 

And now will these Americans, children planted by 
our care, nourished by our indulgences till they are 
grown to a degree of strength and opulence, and 
protected by our arms, will they grudge to contribute 
their mite to relieve us from the heavy weight of that 
burden which we lie under? 

To which Colonel Barre eloquently replied, in 
part: 

They planted by your care? No. Your oppres- 
sions planted them in America. They fled from your 
tyranny into a then uncultivated land where they 
were exposed to all the hardships to which human 
nature is liable, and among others to the cruelties of a 
savage foe, the most subtle and, I will take it upon me 
to say, the most terrible that ever inhabited any part 
of God's earth. 

• • • • ■ • • 

They nourished by your indulgence? They grew 
up by your neglect of them. . . . 

They protected by yoiu" arms? They have nobly 
taken up arms in your defense. . . . 

On the 1st day of November, 1765, the Stamp 
Act took effect. It was a day of mourning 
throughout the land. The dirge was tolled in 
Boston and workshops there were closed, while 
the friends of Liberty at Portsmouth were in- 



156 The Historic Mohawk 

Aated to her funeral, Nvhieh was held in effig^^ 
From this time dated the fomiation of societies of 
the "Sons of Liberty" throughout the land. 
English luxuries were everywhere eschewed, and 
honiespun became popular. 

This intense excitement in America caused 
some alann in England and finally resulted in 
the repeal of the Stamp Act, followed, however, by 
the "Declaratory Act" to the effect "that Parlia- 
ment have and of right ought to have, power to 
bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever," and 
closely followed, in its turn, by a tax on glass, tea, 
etc. At the same time there still remained on the 
statutes a law requiring that any British troops 
sent to America should be quartered there at the 
expense of the colonies. 

These arbitrary measures kept indignation at 
fever heat. Joy over the repeal of the Stamp 
Act was short-lived. The home government now 
felt the need of action, and, in 1768, British troops 
were quartered in Boston and New York. 

Massachusetts addressed a circular letter to the 
other colonies asking their ad\-ice and support. 
In Virginia, the House of Burgesses met behind 
closed doors and adopted resolutions condemning 
the injustice of the British govenmient in trans- 
porting criminals for trial. 

The first American blood shed in the cause was 
spilled at Boston on Jvlarch 2, 1770, when British 
soldiers, ha\'ing long been derided and dared, 
fired upon the people, wounding five and killing 



Rifle and Tomahawk 157 

three. The funeral of these martyrs was held 
three days latc-r, with every demonstration of 
sorrow and respect, thousands following the 
bodies to the grave. 

In 1772, a British revenue cutter, the Gaspee, 
was burned near Providence. 

Again, in 1773, did Virginia register her protest 
against tyranny. The voice of Patrick Henry, 
exclaiming in ringing tones for liberty or death, 
was now vibrant throughout the South, v/hile 
Philadelphia found for the spirit of that same 
liberty a worthy champion in Benjamin Franklin. 

The East India Company obtained x>€Tmission 
to import to America that unpopular article — ^tea. 
Ship after ship was sent back, unloaded, from 
New York and Philadelphia. The Governor of 
Massachusetts, however, permitted the tea to 
land at Boston. The people, indignant, assem- 
bled, and finally, on the evening of December 1 7th, 
the famous Boston Tea Party was held, at which 
time some thirty men, in Mohawk Indian attire, 
imder the protection of their fellow citizens, broke 
open and consigned to the bosom of the deep, three 
hundred and forty-two chests of tea. 

"Disperse, ye reh>els, — throw down your arms 
and disperse!" These were the words of Major 
Pitcaim, addressed to a small company of militia 
assembled at the village of Lexington, April 19, 
1775. The militia wavered, they received the 
enemy's fire, and eight were killed. This feeVjle 
resistance overcome, the British detachment 



158 The Historic Mohawk 

moved on to Concord and there destroyed some 
military stores laid up by the Americans, meeting 
but small resistance from the militia. But the 
firing had been reported, — bells rang, guns were 
discharged, and the country was in arms. Stone 
walls and tree-stumps were alive with men. 
Flames were pouring forth into the ranks of the 
now retreating British. 

A large army under command of Generals Ward 
and Putnam soon surrounded Boston town. 

There followed the capture of Ticonderoga and 
Crown Point by Ethan Allen and his Green Moun- 
tain boys and their associates from Connecticut. 

Again, on June 17th, came the historic battle of 
Bunker Hill, in which the immortal Warrefi lost his 
life — in which the Briton tested the mettle of his 
enemy, and gained what he called a victory at a 
price all too high to pay. On the 4th of July, 
1776, the Continental Congress, assembled at 
Philadelphia, declared the independence of the 
United States. 

Meanwhile, the intrepid men of New England 
were not alone in their fight for the cause. While 
stirring events had transpired elsewhere, what 
part had been taken by the men of the county of 
Tryon, colony of New York? Let the opening 
part of the minutes of the Committee of Safety 
be our reply. 

County of Tryon: 

Whereas the British Parliament has lately passed 
an Act for raising a Revenue in America without the 



Rifle and Tomahawk 159 

Consent of our Representative to abridging the 
Liberties and privileges of the American Colonies and 
therefore blocking up the Port of Boston; the Free- 
holders and Inhabitants of Palatine Dist, in the 
County of Tryon aforesaid, looking with Concern and 
heartfuU Sorrow on these Allarming and calamitous 
Conditions, Do meet this 27th Day of August 1774, 
on that purpose at the house of Adam Loucks Esq"" at 
Stonearabia, and conclude the Resolves following : Vizt 

I.) That King George the Third is Lawfiil and 
Rightful Lord and Sovereign of Great Britain and the 
Dominions thereto belonging and that as Part of his 
Dominions We hereby testify that We will bear true 
Faith and Allegiance unto him, and that we will with 
our Lives and Fortunes support and maintain him 
upon the Throne of His Ancestors and the just De- 
pendence of these his Colonies upon the Crown of 
Great Britain. — 

IL) That we think and consider it as our greatest 
Happiness to be governed by the Laws of Great 
Britain, and that with Chearfulness We will always 
pay Submission thereunto, as far as we consistently 
can, with the Security of the Constitutional Rights 
and Liberties of English Subjects, which are so sacred, 
that we cannot permit the same to be violated. — 

in.) That We think it is our undeniable Privilege 
to be taxed only with our own Consent given by 
ourselves (or by our Representative). That Taxes 
otherwise laid and exacted are unjust and uncon- 
stitutional. That the Late Acts of Parliament de- 
clarative of their Right of laying internal Taxes on the 
American Colonies are obvious Incroachment in the 
Rights and Liberties of the British Subjects in 
America. — 



i6o The Historic Mohawk 

IV.) That the Act for blocking up the Port of 
Boston is oppressive and arbitrary, injurious in its 
principles and particularly oppressive to the Inhabi- 
tants of Boston, who we consider as Brethren suffering 
in the Common Cause. 

V.) That We vn]l tmite and join with the different 
Districts of this County, in gi\'ing whatever Relief 
it is in our power to the poor distressed Inhabitants of 
Boston, and that we vnll join and unite with our 
Brethren of the Rest of this Colony in anj'thing tend- 
ing to support and defend our Rights and Liberties. — 

At another meeting, of date the following 
May, 1775, the Freeholders gave utterance to the 
following sentiment: 

Whereas the Grand Jury of this County, and a 
Number of the Magistrates have signed a Declaration 
declaring their Disapprobation of the just Opposition 
made by the Colonies of the oppressive and arbitrary 
Acts of the British Parliament, the purport of which is 
e\adently to entail Slavery on America — And as the 
said Declaration may in some measures be looked upon 
as the Sense of the County in General, if the same be 
passed over in Silence: — We the Subscribers Free- 
holders and Inhabitants of the Said County, inspired 
with a sincere Love for our Country" and deeply 
interested in the Common Cause, Do Solemnly 
Declare our fixed Attachment to and entire Approba- 
tion of the proceedings of the Grand Continental 
Congress held at Philadelphia last Fall and that We 
will strictly adhere and abide by the same. We do 
also solemnly declare and express our Confidence in the 
Wisdom and Integrity of the present Continental 



Rifle and Tomahawk i6i 

Congress, and that We will support the same to the 
utmost of our power, and that we will Religiously and 
inviolably observe the Regulations and proceedings of 
that August Body. — 

And in the ringing words of May 19th of that 
same year, they added: 

In a word Gentl° it is our fixed Resolution to sup- 
port and carrj'' into Execution everything Recom- 
mended by the Continental and provincial Congress, 
and to be free, or die. 

And again, on May 21st, they resolved: 

That as we abhor a State of Slavery, We do join 
and unite together under all the ties of Religion, 
Honor, Justice and Love for otir Country never to 
become Slaves, and to defend our Freedom with our 
Lives and Fortunes. 

During this same month of May, 1775, when 
the blood of the Whigs was running dangerously 
riot, a body of them, several hundred in number, 
had assembled at Caughnawaga with a view to 
erecting a liberty pole. Sir John Johnson and Sir 
Guy, his brother-in-law and cousin, attempted 
to break up the meeting, Sir Guy making a speech 
so offensive as to arouse belligerent blood. There- 
upon one Jacob Sammons, fired w4th indignation, 
used epithets anything but complimentary to the 
speaker. From words they came to blows and Sir 
Guy receiving some help from Loyalist friends, it 
fell to the lot of the same Sammons to bear honor- 



i62 The Historic Mohawk 

able scars — the first of Tryon County in connection 
with the Revolutionary War. 

The twenty-seventh meeting of the Committee 
was held on June 2, 1775. On that occasion a 
letter was written to Sir Guy Johnson protesting 
against some of his measures, such as the keeping 
of an armed guard about him and the searching 
of travellers on the highway. 

To this Sir Guy presently replied, disclaiming 
any discreditable intentions. 

On August 26, 1775, was organized the Tryon 
Coimty Militia. 

: At the twenty-seventh meeting a letter was 
framed and afterward sent to Sir John Johnson. 

Tryon Co. Committee Chambers. 

Oct. 26, 1775. 

Honorable Sir: 

As we find particular reason to be convinced of 
your opinion in the questions hereafter expressed, we 
request that 3"ou will oblige us with your sentiments 
thereof in a few lines by our messengers, the bearers 
hereof, Messrs. Ebenezer Cox, James M<=Master and 
"^v Jacob J. Clock, members of our Committee. We wish 
to know whether you will allow the inhabitants of 
Johnstown and Kingsborough to form themselves into 
companies, according to the regulations of our Conti- 
nental Congress, for the defense of our countr^^'s 
cause; and whether your Honor would be ready 
himself to give his personal assistance to the same 
purpose; also whether you pretend a prerogative to 



Rifle and Tomahawk 163 

our Count}'^ Coiirt House and Jail and would hinder 
or interrupt the Committee making use of the same to 
our want and service in the common cause. We do 
not doubt you will comply with our reasonable 
request and thereby oblige 
Honorable Sir, 
Your obedient and humble servants, 

By order of the Committee, 
Nicholas Herkimer, Chairman. 

^ To this Sir John replied that as to embodying 
his tenants, he never did nor should forbid them ; 
but they might save themselves further trouble, 
as he knew his tenants would not consent. Con- 
cerning himself, sooner than lift his hand against 
his king, or sign any association, he would suffer 
his head to be cut off. As to the court-house 
and jail, he would not deny the use of them for 
the piirpose for which they were built, but that 
they were his property iintil he should be refunded 
seven hundred pounds. He further said that he 
had been informed that two thirds of the Cana- 
joharie and German Flats people had been forced 
to sign the association. 

The distinction between Whig and Tory began 
now to stand out in bold relief. Tories were plenty 
in the valley and the question of loyalty and 
rebellion furnished a line of cleavage for dividing 
families. In this respect the minutes of the 
Committee are a faithful mirror of the times. 

The Schenectady Committee was meanwhile 
doing work as effective, regulating the cost of 



164 The Historic Mohawk 

pro\*isions and supplies, purchasing from private 
indi\"iduals any stores of ammunition in their 
possession, and otherwise preparing wisely for 
future need. 

The committee minutes for December 29, 1775, 
contain the following entiy: 

This board ha\-ing taken into consideration the 
custom of the inhabitants of this place of firing guns 
on New Year's day, and finding said custom to be 
attended with an unnecessary waste of powder, 
which ought to be particularly prevented at this time ; 

Resolved that the jNIagistrates be apphed to, to 
use their authority in putting a stop to said customs. 

The stand taken by Sir John Johnson was a 
source of increasing uneasiness to the colonists 
and at the beginning of 1776 it seemed best to 
take more definite action in the matter. Colonels 
Guy Johnson and John Butler were now in Canada, 
and ver\' well posted in matters at Johnson Hall 
and \'icinity, the Indians conve\"ing correspond- 
ence, it is said, in personal ornaments and toma- 
hawk heads. 

In Januar\' of that year, General Schuyler, 
with seven himdred men, left Albany to help Sir 
John in arri\'ing at a decision. A messenger was 
sent forward to reassure the Indians, but the 
Indians were disposed to resent any action against 
Sir John, whom they loved more for his father's 
sake than for his o\sti. After meeting Little 
Abram and a delegation of his Mohawks at 



Rifle and Tomahawk 165 

Schenectady and a considerable exchange of 
argument, during which General Schuyler more 
fully explained to them his wish merely to know 
Sir John's mind, and his desire for peace, if 
possible, he sent, with their approval, a message 
to Johnson Hall. His terms were that all military 
stores should be given up, that Sir John, on his 
parole, remain in any part of Tryon County — 
east of Kingsland — that he might choose, that the 
Scotch inhabitants give up their arms, that all 
articles intended for presents to the Indians be 
given up. 

Sir John hesitated. General Schuyler threat- 
ened violence and was reinforced by General 
Herkimer, with Tryon County militia, the whole 
army numbering about three thousand men. 

Sir John's answer was indefinite and un- 
satisfactory, but, after further parley, an agree- 
ment was reached practically in accordance with 
General Schuyler's propositions. On the 19th, 
Sir John's retainers grounded their arms. Within 
a day or two about one hundred Tories were 
captured. General Schuyler then returned to 
Albany. 

Sir John's conduct was not greatly changed 
after this transaction. Tories still visited the 
vicinity, and Sir John is said to have broken his 
parole. In May, Col. Elias Dayton was sent by 
Schuyler to arrest him, but Sir John, forewarned, 
had departed in the night, hastily, and poorly 
provisioned, with a large party of his retainers. 



1 66 The Historic Mohawk 

After much hardship, they reached Montreal at 
the end of a journey of nineteen days. 

There was now coming to the front that feature 
in the great struggle for independence that brought 
the most terrific suffering into the lives of the 
people of the beautiful valleys of the Wyoming 
and the Mohawk. That great friend of white 
man and Indian alike who had guided and re- 
strained the savage tomahawk, holding it ever 
back from its destructive blows against the settle- 
ments of the frontier, had passed away. Sir 
William Johnson was dead; Sir John, his son, 
reigned in his stead. 

The Crown and its Loyalists did not hesitate 
to use the red man, untutored and unrestrained, 
as their terror-bringing ally. They had a right, 
they said, "to use all the means that God and 
nature had put into their hands to conquer 
America." To not a few citizens of England, to 
not a few of their officers quartered upon Ameri- 
can soil, this course aroused the repugnance which 
it deserved. 

Said Lord Pitt, at debate in the British Parlia- 
ment, when first the measure was introduced: 

My Lords, we are called upon as members of this 
house, as men, as Christian men, to protest against 
such notions, standing near the throne, polluting the 
ear of Majesty. "That God and nature put into 
our hands!" I know not what ideas that Lord may 
entertain of God and nature, but I know that such 



Rifle and Tomahawk 167 

abominable principles are equally abhorrent to re- 
ligion and humanity. 

What ! to attribute the sanction of God and nature 
to the massacres of the Indian scalping-knif e ! to the 
cannibal savage, torturing, murdering, roasting and 
eating, literally, my lords, eating the mangled victims 
of his barbarous battles! 

I call upon that right reverend bench, those holy 
ministers of the gospel and pious pastors of the church ; 
I conjure them to join in the holy work and vindicate 
the religion of their God. I appeal to the wisdom 
and the law of this learned bench to defend and 
support the justice of their country. I call upon the 
bishops to interpose the unsullied sanctity of their 
lawn ; upon the learned judges to interpose the purity 
of their ermine to save us from this pollution. I call 
upon the honor of your lordships to reverence the 
dignity of your ancestors and to maintain your own. 
I call upon the spirit and humanity of my coimtry to 
vindicate the national character. 

The Oneida Indians, as a tribe, remained neutral 
or friendly to the American cause, incurring there- 
by some suffering at the hands of the indignant 
Mohawks. The course of the Oneidas in this 
respect was due, no doubt, largely to the beneficent 
influence and wise counsel of their missionary, 
Rev. Samuel Kirkland, and of the celebrated chief 
Skenandoah, the "white man's friend." 

Joseph Brant early began to exert his influence 
over his tribesmen in the interest of Great Britain. 
On the 27th of June, 1777, General Herkimer, 



1 68 The Historic Mohawk 

accompanied by a number of the militia, met the 
chief at Unadilla. In a somewhat stormy inter- 
view, which at one time seemed Ukely to end in 
bloodshed, Brant declared himself under allegiance 
to the king. He said, further, that as he and 
the General were old friends, the latter would 
be permitted to depart for his own home in 
peace. 

Red-skinned foes now prowled in the woods 
about Fort Stanwix, and occasionally claimed 
a \'ictim. On the 28th of July, three young 
girls out picking berries were shot, and two of 
them were tomahawked and scalped. There 
was no room for doubt on which side the red men 
stood arrayed. As to what part the Loyahsts 
took in these matters, the following dociiment 
win attest. 

The Bearer Schoyghoowate, a young Cayuga chief, 
has been on a scouting party in Ft. Stanwix in the 
Beginning of Jiily '77, where 5 prisoners 4 scalps were 
taken and has not rec'd any Reward for such Service, 
this is therefore to certify that I shall see him content 
for Said Service on my first seeing him again. 
Buck Island, 9th July, '77. 

Dan Claus, 
Superintendent Western Division. 

This may certify that Kay-ing-wam-to, the Sanake 
(Seneca) chief, has been on an expedition to Fort 
Stanwix, and has taken two scalps, one from an officer 
and a corporal that were gunning near the fort, for 



Rifle and Tomahawk 169 

which I promise to pay at sight ten dollars for each 

scalp. 

John Butler, 

Col. and Supi. of the Six Nations and 

the allies of his Majesty. 

Given under my hand at 
Bucks Island. 

The men of the valley watched the progress of 
the war, so often discouraging, as it was waged 
elsewhere, and every now and then a new recruit 
found his way to Canada, while the patriots 
awaited the day for the Canadian army, under 
the Johnsons, to return upon them. It came at 
last. The half-breed interpreter,Thomas Spencer, 
brought the news, and Oneida runners verified it. 

It was the summer of 1777. Sir Henry Clinton 
was stationed at the south, at Hudson River, to 
march to the north; Burgo^me, at Fort Edward, 
at the northeast, to march southwestwardly ; St. 
Leger at the northwest, with his Canadian and 
Indian allies, to march southeast war dly, — all three 
to meet at Albany, and cut off New England 
from the Middle States, — this was the British 
plan of action. But it failed. So far as St. 
Leger's part was concerned, the path lay through 
the J^Iohawk Valley, with no obstacle in the way, 
save a weak garrison at Fort Stanwix, which he 
had already reached and was now besieging. 
Yes, there was another obstacle — the yeomanry 
of the valley who opposed his march and closed 
in battle \%ith him on the field of Oriskany. 



170 The Historic Mohawk 

On the 17th of July the following proclamation 
was issued by General Herkimer: 

Whereas it appears certain that the enemy, of 
about 2,000 strong, Christians and savages, are ar- 
riving at Oswego with the intention to invade our 
frontiers, I think it proper and most necessary for the 
defense of our country, and it shall be ordered by me 
as the enemy approaches that every male person being 
in health from sixteen to sixty years of age, in this our 
county, shall, as in duty bound, repair immediately 
with arms and accoutrements to the place to be 
appointed in my orders, and will then march to 
oppose the enemy with vigor, as true patriots, for 
the just defense of their country. And those that 
are above sixty years or really unwell and incapable 
to march, shall then assemble, also armed, at their 
respective places, where women and children will be 
gathered together, in order for defense against the 
enemy, if attacked, as much as lies in their power. 
But concerning the disaffected, and who will not 
directly obey such orders, they shall be taken along 
with their arms, secured under guard, to join the 
main body. And as such an invasion requires every 
friend to the country in general, but of this county in 
particular, to show his zeal and well affected spirit 
in actual defense of the same, all the members of the 
committee as well as those who by former commis- 
sions or otherwise have been exempted from any other 
military duty, are requested to repair also when called, 
to such place as shall be appointed and join to repulse 
oiu" foes. Not doubting that the Almighty Power, 
upon our humble prayers and sincere trust in him, 



Rifle and Tomahawk 171 

will then graciously succor our arms in battle, for 
our just cause, and victory can not fail on our side. 

The time was August, 1777. The proclamation 
issued by General Herkimer had been sent forth, 
summoning the peaceful yeomanry to arms. The 
air was full of forebodings. Royal sympathizers 
lived among the patriots, their neighbors, relatives, 
and close associates. The issue was uncertain. On 
the conquest of Fort Stanwix and the junction of 
the three loyalist forces, the British would hold the 
key to the situation and cut off the armies of New 
York and New England from the armies of the 
South. 

It was a lovely region, the one whose devasta- 
tion was threatened, the admiration of beauty 
lovers, the charming valley of the Mohawk. 

Fort Stanwix lay besieged. This defence, the 
old Fort Schuyler of history, stood on the right 
bank of the Mohawk River, at the head of its navi- 
gation. To the west was Wood Creek, connecting 
with Oneida Lake and the Oneida River which 
with Oswego River, form a chain of waters to Lake 
Ontario. Between Wood Creek and the Mo- 
hawk was the carrying place for boats, hence the 
importance of the location of the fort. 

Inside its walls were stationed seven hundred and 
fifty Continental troops, — New York and Massa- 
chusetts, — under the charge of Colonel Gansevoort. 
In front were arrayed against it 1700 men, white 
men and Indians, British and Tories. St. Leger 



i;. The Historic Mohawk 

was in ooniniaiid and tlie saNago contingent ■v\*as 
led by the terrible Brant. By night the red man's 
^^-a^-^vhoop resounded tlirough the woods. 

A few miles away, on the sate of the present 
towii of Herkimer, then Fort Dayton, stood 
another body of soldiers. Commanded by Gen. 
Nicholas Herkimer, tlie militia of Tryon County 
stood ready marslialled for the relief of the be- 
aded. On August 4th, they left Fort Dayton and 
ad\-anced to \\1iitestown, where they made a halt. 

On the evening of August 5th. messengers were 
dispatched from the \-icinity of the present 
AMiitesto\%ni to Fort Stan\\-ix to notify the com- 
mander of the proximity of the regiment. Ganse- 
voort was to tire three signal-guns on receipt of 
the news. The messengers did not reacli the 
fort until late the next moniing, at wliich time 
signals were promptly gi\*en, and Colonel Willett, 
with 250 New York Continentals, issued from the 
fort. 

At daybreak that morning, the Soo militia were 
ready for the fray. There stood the men of the 
Mohawk. Scotch-Irish, bra\*e men! were there, 
and men of New England blood, but, for the most 
part. German and Low Dutch. German was the 
language cliieily spoken on that e\-entful day. 
Fathers and sons fought side bj- side, brothers 
and brothers, young and old. 

The central tigure, toward whom all eyes were 
turned, was a small spare man of forty-eight NNith 
black hair and bright black eyes. As the multi- 



Rifle and Tomahawk 173 

tudc, at first serious and patient, begin to take 
alarm, as no signal is heard and the waiting army 
is not yet in line of march, let us look particularly 
at this man, their leader. Gen. Nicholas Herkimer. 

John Jost Herkimer, the father of our hero, a 
Lutheran by religious profession, was one of the 
earlier settlers of the German Flats. To the 
family of which he was a member had been as- 
signed extensive grants of land. John Jost drew 
for his share a lot on the south side of the river. 
Here his eldest son, Nicholas, was born, soon after 
his father's arrival in this country. In a near-by 
school, the lad received what little education ever 
fell to his share, that little being in the German 
tongue. 

His father was prominent in the neighborhood, 
influential and wealthy. In later years he built 
again, his house being situated about three quarters 
of a mile from the site of his first residence, after- 
ward Fort Herkimer, and directly opposite Fort 
Dayton. He died many years before the battle 
in which his son bore so noble a part. 

Nicholas, like his father, was influential and 
prosperous. As has been said, he had not had the 
advantages of a liberal education, but he was 
pure, honest, honorable, courageous, and generally 
beloved. He stood sponsor for many children 
and was affectionately known among his neighbors 
as "Hannicol" Herkimer. 

General Herkimer had eight sisters, all married, 
but the husbands of several were Tories. Others 



174 The Historic Mohviwk 

among his relatives were also suspected of Tory- 
w-ard leanings and one of liis brothers w^as a leading 
Loyalist. The other brother was with hiin in the 
battle in which he met his death. 

But the sun has mounted high into the sk>'. 
There is discontent in the anny. The signal 
has not beai heard. The ranks are not on the 
move. For hours, the patriot band has been in 
readiness, eager for the word of command. There 
have long been low murmurings, here and 
there. 

The murmurings have become more intense. 
Is there treacher\' in the air? Tliis commander, 
so loth to ad\'ance, is he a coward at heart? He 
has a brother kno\\-n as a traitor. Is he one as 
well ? The colonels remonstrate with their general . 
He repUes calmly that prudence demands delay. 
The signal has not yet been given. They 
urge. He holds his ground. The people catch 
the spirit of the hour. The ranks become tumiJ- 
tuous; the excitement grows intense. 

"Ye who are so eager will be the first to dy," 
is the remark of Herkimer. But the men are not 
quieted. Tlie discontent grows apace, the surging 
of the army is Uke that of the billo\s-s of the sea. 
Again the leaders remonstrate. They speak 
curtly and \s-ith some contempt. "Coward!" 
"Traitor!" These are words that reach his ear. 

The General turns liis face toward them. 
They ha\-e touched a s«isitive spot. He leaps 
upon a stump and gives the word of command. 




Monument of Oriskany 
Photograph by A. P. Zintsmaster 



Rifle and Tomahawk 175 

" Vorwardts ! " cries Herkimer, and brandishes 
his sword. 

The men break into a huzza. The march 
begins, through ravine and woods, — when sud- 
denly the scene changes. The Indians and 
British have been apprised, and He in ambush to 
surround their prey. The fierce nature of the wild 
man of the forest has been aroused. He does not 
wait, as has been planned, for all the advancing 
army to pass. He closes upon the first. There are 
savage war-whoops and the battle has begun. 

The conflict thickens. Side by side fight 
fathers and sons, elder brothers and younger; 
their foes, — their neighbors and the savage natives 
of the soil. Manfully did the yeomanry perform 
their part. Said Gouvemeur Morris, in his speech 
before the New York Historical Society: 

Let me recall, gentlemen, to your recollection the 
bloody field on which Herkimer fell. There was 
found the Indian and the white man, born on the 
banks of the Mohawk, their left hands clutched in 
each other's hair, the right hand grasping, in a gripe 
of death, the knife plunged in each other's bosom; 
thus they lay frowning. 

As men who fight for home and child and wife, 
As men oblivious of life. 
In holy martyrdom, 

The Yeomen of the Valley fought that day. 
Throughout thy fierce and deadly fray. 
Blood-red Oriskany.^ 

> From a poem composed by Rev. Charles DownesHelmer, D.D. 



176 The Historic Mohawk 

In the midst of the deadly confusion, there 
sounded the long-expected signal, — the three guns 
from the fort. At the same moment, there issued 
from it, not too late to help. Colonel Willett with 
his two hundred and fifty men. 

Meanwhile where is the central figure? — a 
majestic one, indeed. His horse has been shot 
beneath him, his leg lies shattered by his side, but 
he sits yonder, at the foot of a large tree, propped 
against it, setting his men an example of self- 
possession in danger and of bravery under pain, 
as he calmly smokes his pipe. 

Heroes are born in such a chosen hour; 
O'er coramon men they rise and tower; 
Like thee, brave Herkimer! 
Who wounded, steedless, still beside the beech 
Cheered on thy men, with sword and speech, 
In grim Oriskany.^ 

A thunder-storm interposes and the war of the 
elements affords breathing-space to the contending 
armies. Then the storm subsides, and the human 
conflict rages once more. For five hours it en- 
dures, then comes the cry of "Oonah! Oonah!" 
the retreating war-signal of the fleeing Indians 
who have had enough of battle, leaving the pa- 
triots in possession of the field. 

While the wounded were being carried from 
the scene of battle, a litter was formed for the 
wounded hero, Herkimer. Under an escort of men 

' Poem of Rev. Charles D. Helmer, D.D. 



Rifle and Tomahawk i77 

commanded by his brother-in-law, Captain Bell, 
he was borne for thirty miles, to his home. There 
it was that after days of patient suffering he 
yielded up his life. When told that the end was 
near, he asked for his Bible, and read aloud, in 
steady tones, the 38th Psalm, so applicable to 
himself. Thus did the hero of the battle-field 
prove himself the hero of the dying-room as well 
— a Christian hero. 

The slaughter had been bloody. Both sides 
claimed the victory. But one thing is certain, 
that the men of the Mohawk bought with their 
blood the honor of giving at the critical point the 
needed check to the army of the invader that 
penned St. Leger before Fort Stanwix and checked 
his trumphant advance. It forged the first link 
in the chain of events which led to the victory at 
Saratoga and the surrender of Burgoyne. It held 
the Tory sympathizers in awe and thus subdued 
that dangerous element of the population. The 
people of the neighborhood have long had occa- 
sion to feel an exultant pride in the conquest of 
the terrible Iroquois, themselves conquerors of the 
kindred nations of their dauntless race. The 
Indians thenceforth regarded the peaceful settlers 
with fear and gave utterance to their rooted inten- 
tion never to fight the "Dutch Yankees" any 
more. 

The battle-ground of Oriskany that day re- 
sponded to the tread of many heroes who risked 
their lives or surrendered them in defence of their 

X3 



178 The Historic Mohawk 

country, their beautiful valley, their families, and 
their homes. Obscure heroes, it may be, none the 
less brave for that, thrifty, brawny heroes, who 
tilled the soil with implements of peace, then 
marched, un-uniformed to defend it, with im- 
plements of war. 

It is hard to refrain from describing the tragic 
details of the battle or from quoting the eulogies 
passed upon it by many famous men. Some day 
it will be awarded its proper place in the nation's 
annals. Let us at least say that, in the words of 
the late Hon Robert Earl : 

Our National flag was adopted by the Continental 
Congress on the fourth of June, 1777, and was first 
flung to the breeze at Fort Stanwix on the sixth of 
August, 1777, — the day of the Oriskany battle. It 
was extemporized out of a white shirt, an old blue 
jacket and some strips of red cloth from the petticoat 
of a soldier's wife, and was defiantly displayed in the 
face of the beleaguering army of St. Leger, with the 
English flag beneath it. It was the first time any 
British soldier had seen the flag. 

Thus said Hamilton Fish: 

Compared with other battles, in the consideration 
of the forces engaged, the Battle of Oriskany was a 
very insignificant affair, but it involved skill, courage 
and endvuance, and, in its results, is to be regarded 
as one of the important successes in the great struggle 
which brought a nation into recognized existence. 



Rifle and Tomahawk 179 

Said Benson J, Lossing, the historian: 

I turned from that battle-field, and in contemplating 
itsifar-reaching effects upon the campaign in northern 
New York in 1777, was satisfied that it was the chief 
event that caused the Indians to desert St. Leger, 
and that boastful young leader to raise the siege of 
Fort Stanwix and fly for refuge to the bosom of Lake 
Ontario. It was the first fatal shock given to the 
hopes of Burgoyne, and caused him to despair when 
his expedition toward Bennington was defeated ten 
days after the Battle of Oriskany. 

The events at Oriskany and Bennington, in August, 
1777, caused the flood-tide of invasion from the north 
to ebb. They led immediately to the important re- 
sults at Saratoga in October; also the appreciation by 
the courts of Europe of the powers of the American 
soldiery and the ability of the colonists to maintain 
the cause of independence. They led to an open 
treaty of alliance between the United States and 
France which was signed just six months to a day 
after the Battle of Oriskany. That battle was the 
first upon which the fortunes of the old war for inde- 
pendence turned in favor of the American patriots. 
It was the prophecy of the surrender of Yorktown. 

We have, moreover, the declaration of Washington 
himself that "when all was dark in the north, it 
was Herkimer who first reversed the gloomy scene. " 

To quote Lieutenant-Governor Dorsheimer in 
his speech at the centennial celebration of the 
little fight : 

Herkimer and his men were ambushed by the 



i8o The Historic Mohawk 

Indians. That was a favorite device in Indian war- 
fare, but it did not succeed with these sturdy Germans. 
Most, although simple farmers without military- 
training, not only stood their ground, but quickly 
adapted themselves to the occasion, adopted the 
Indian tactics, posted themselves behind trees, and 
fought with such skill and endurance all through the 
summer day that the Indians, to use the language of 
one of their chiefs, had enough, and did not want to 
fight "Dutch Yankees" any more. 

No more important battle has ever been fought 
in this country. Nowhere, with an opportunity for 
escape, have troops sustained so severe a loss, never 
has a battle which began with disaster been turned 
into victory more complete. And this was a German 
fight. The words of warning and encouragement, the 
exclamations of passion and of pain, the shouts of 
battle and of victory and the commands which the 
wounded Herkimer spake, and the prayers of the 
dying, were in the German tongue. I say you may 
well be proud of it, for it is the contribution which men 
of your race have made to the work of American 
independence. 

On August 6, 1877, the anniversary of that 
memorable day, central New York witnessed an 
imposing scene. The grounds, one hundred years 
before so dark and gloomy, the home of ancient 
forests, were transformed into vistas of peaceful 
life and the descendants of the heroes of the 
battle and the descendants of their neighbors and 
friends, with later settlers of the valley, thronged 
the historic grounds and recalled the memory of 



Rifle and Tomahawk i8i 

the earnest soldiers of Oriskany. With music and 
flags, speeches and poems in their honor, the day- 
was spent. Ten years later, a similar body 
gathered on the spot and there, fair to the sight, 
stood the statue they had come to dedicate, the 
Monument of Oriskany. 

The names of the patriots of the battle bear an 
honored place upon a tablet on one of its sides. 
Tablets on the other sides give, respectively, views 
of the struggle between an Indian and a white man, 
and of the wounded Herkimer directing the conflict. 
The remaining side bears the dedication : 

Here Was Fought 

The Battle of Oriskany, 

On the 6th Day of August, 1777. 

Here British Invasion Was Checked and 

Thwarted. 

Here General Nicholas Herkimer, 

Intrepid Leader of the American Forces, 

Though Mortally Wounded Kept Command of 

THE Fight 

Till the Enemy Had Fled. 

The Life-Blood of More than 

Two Hundred Patriot Heroes 

Made This Battle Ground 

Sacred Forever. 



This Monument Was Built 
A.D. 1883, IN THE Year of Independence 107, 



1 82 The Historic Mohawk 

By Grateful Dwellers in the Mohawk 

Valley, 

Under the Direction 

Of the Oneida Historical Society 

Aided by the National Government 

And the State of New York. 

Another monument still exists which has with- 
stood the assaults of time, — the old Herkimer 
mansion in which the hero of Oriskany lived. 

On yonder well-remembered hill, 

Scarred and neglected, old and gray, 
Rises the house, recalling still. 

The story of that bloody day; 
Deep, clear and beautifully bright, 

Through fields of waving grass and grain, 
Like silver flashing in the light, 

The Mohawk flows across the plain. 

Frank H. Willard. 








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CHAPTER VIII 

RIFLE AND TOMAHAWK — (ConHmied) 

Brave Herkimer, our General, *s dead, 

And Colonel Cox is slain, 
And many more and valiant men 

We ne'er shall see again. 

THE sortie of that brave and daring officer, 
Colonel Marinus Willett, dubbed "the Devil " 
by the Indians for his impetuosity and dash, 
had met with the success which his own gallantry 
and that of his brave band deserved. They 
attacked first the partially denuded camp of Sir 
John Johnson and his remaining men, all of whom, 
being unprepared, fled hurriedly to the river. 
The Indian encampment stood next, most of its 
occupants then being on the battle-field. The 
remainder took to the woods. 

The spoils of battle fell thus into American 
hands, and were conveyed by quantities in 
wagons to the fort. Provisions, journals, blankets, 
and clothing were captured and so were five 
British flags which were promptly nailed to the 
staff, while, above them, for the first time, trium- 
phant, waved the new-bom American flag. 

183 



184 The Historic Mohawk 

There was also much miscellaneous plunder, 
for example, "One Scarlet Coat trimmed with 
Good Lace, three laced Hatts, a good deal of 
Money in Specie and paper. " 

In commemoration of Colonel Willett's part in 
this event, he afterwards received a vote of thanks 
from Congress and the gift of an elegant sword. 

At nine o'clock, on the evening of the battle, 
a letter was penned by two of the American 
prisoners in St. Leger's camp. Colonel Bellinger 
and Major Frey, and was conveyed to the fort by 
Colonel Butler. The letter read : 

9 o'clock P.M. — Camp before Fort Stanwix. 

6th August, 1777. 
Sir, 

It is with concern we are to acquaint you that this 
was the fatal day in which the succors which were 
intended for your relief have been attacked and de- 
feated, with great loss of numbers killed, wounded, and 
taken prisoners. Our regard for your safety and 
lives, and our sincere advice to you is if you will 
avoid inevitable ruin and destruction, to surrender 
the fort you pretend to defend against a formidable 
body of troops and a good train of artillery, which we 
are witnesses of; when, at the same time, you have 
no further support or relief to expect. We are sorry 
to inform you that most of the principal officers are 
killed; to wit, Gen. Herkimer, Colonels Cox, Seeber, 
Isaac Paris, Captain Graves, and many others too 
tedious to mention. The British army from Canada, 
being now perhaps before Albany, the possession of 



Rifle and Tomahawk 185 

which place of course includes the conquest of the 
Mohawk River and this fort. 

Need we say that this letter was due to coer- 
cion? As to the result, the endorsement on the 
back is as follows : 

Gen. St. Leger, on the day of the date of this letter, 
made a verbal summons of the Fort, by his Adjutant 
General and Colonel Butler and who then handed this 
letter; when Colonel Gansevoort refused any answer 
to a verbal summons, unless made by General St. 
Leger himself, but at the mouth of his cannon. 

On the day following, three British officers, 
one of them Colonel Butler, came to the fort under 
protection of a flag of truce. They were blind- 
folded and led into a lighted room, where they 
met several American officers. After the passing 
of wine Major Ancrom, one of the British officers, 
said: 

I am directed by Colonel St. Leger, the officer 
commanding the army now investing this garrison, to 
inform the commandant that the Colonel has, with 
much difficulty, prevailed on the Indians to agree, 
that if the garrison, without farther resistance, shall 
be delivered up, with the public stores belonging to it, 
'to the investing army, the officers and soldiers shall 
have all their private property secured to them. And 
in order that the garrison may have a sufficient pledge 
to this effect. Col. Butler accompanies me to assure 
them that not a hair of the head of any one of them 



1 86 The Historic Mohawk 

shall be hurt. Here turning to Colonel Butler, he said, 
" That. I think, was the expression they made use of, 
was it not?" To which the Colonel answered '* Yes." 
I am likewnse directed to remind the commandant 
that the defeat of General Herkimer must deprive 
the garrison of all hopes of relief, especially as General 
Burgo\nie is now in Albany; so that, sooner or later, 
the fort must fall into our hands. Colonel St. Legcr, 
from an earnest desire to prevent further bloodshed, 
hopes these terms will not be refused, as in this case 
it will be out of his power to make them again. It 
was with, great difficulty the Indians consented to the 
present arrangement as it will deprive them of that 
plunder which the}' always calculated upon on similar 
occasions. Should these, the present terms, be re- 
jected, it will be out of the power of the Colonel to 
restrain the Indians, who are very numerous and 
much exasperated, not only from plundering the 
property, but destro}*ing the lives, probabl3% of the 
greater part of the garrison. Indeed, the Indians are 
so exceedingly provoked and mortified by the losses 
they have sustained in the late actions, having had 
several of their favorite chiefs killed, that they threaten 
and the Colonel, — if the present arrangements should 
not be entered into, — will not be able to prevent them 
from executing their threats to march down the 
country, and destroy the settlement, wnth its inhabi- 
tants. In this case, not only men, but women and 
children, will experience the sad effects of their ven- 
geance. These considerations, it is ardently hoped, 
will produce a proper effect, and induce the com- 
mandant, by complying with the terms now offered, to 
save himself from future regret, when it will be too 
late. 



Rifle and Tomahawk 187 

Colonel Willett replied : 

Do I understand you, Sir? I think you say that 
you come from a British colonel, who is commander 
of the army that invests this fort, and, by your uni- 
form, you appear to be an officer in the British service. 
You have made a long speech, on the occasion of 
your visit, which, stripped of all its superfluities, 
amounts to this, that you come from a British colonel 
to the commandant of this garrison to tell him that 
if he does not deliver up the garrison into the hands 
of your Colonel, he will send his Indians to murder 
our women and children. You will please to reflect, 
Sir, that their blood will be on your head, not on ours. 
We are doing our duty; this garrison is committed 
to our charge and we will take care of it. After 
you get out of it, you may turn round and look at its 
outside, but never expect to come in again, unless 
you come a prisoner. I consider the message you 
have brought a degrading one for a British officer to 
send, and by no means reputable for a British officer 
to carry. For my own part, I declare, before I 
would consent to deliver this garrison to such a 
murdering set as your army, by your own account, 
consists of, I would suffer my body to be filled with 
splinters, and set on fire, as you know has at times 
been practised by such hordes of women and children 
killers as belong to your army. 

Says Stone in his Life of Joseph Brant: 

Colonel Willett observes in his narrative, whence 
these facts are drawn, that in the delivery he looked 



i88 The Historic Mohawk 

the British major full in the face, and that he spoke 
with emphasis is not doubted. 

On the 9th instant, Colonel St. Leger sent 
to Colonel Gansevoort a letter embodying the 
same sentiments expressed verbally by Major 
Ancrom. 

By way of reply, he received the following : 

Col. Gansevoort to Col. St. Leger. 
Fort Schuyler, Aug. 9th, 1777. 

Sir : Your letter of this day's date I have received, 
in answer to which I say, that it is my determined 
resolution, with the forces under my command, to 
defend this fort to the last extremity in behalf of the 
United American States, who have placed me here to 
defend it against all their enemies. 
I have the honor to be, Sir, 

Your most ob't humble serv't, 

Peter Gansevoort, 
Col. commandmg Fort Schuyler. 
Gen. Barry St. Leger. 

Meanwhile patriots outside the walls had not 
been idle and at the above date the following 
letter was penned to the Albany Committee : 

German Flats, Committee Chambers. 

August 9th, 1777. 

Gentlemen: Just arrived Captain Demuth and 
John Adam Helmer the bearer hereof, with an account 
that they arrived with some difficulty at Fort Schuyler, 
the 6th of the month, being sent there by order of Gen. 



Rifle and Tomahawk 189 

Herkimer. Before he- set out for the field of battle, 
he requested some assistance from the fort, in order 
to make an effort to facilitate our march to the fort. 
Two hundred and sixty men were granted. They 
made a sally, encountered the enemy, killed many, 
destroyed the tents of the enemy and came off vic- 
torious to the fort. The commander (of the fort) 
desired them to acquaint us, and his superiors, that 
he is wanting assistance, and thinks to stand out so 
long that timely assistance could come to his relief. 

Concerning the battle: On our side, all accounts 
agreed that a number of the enemy is killed; the 
flower of our militia either killed or wounded except 
one hundred and fifty, who stood the field and forced 
the enemy to retreat; the wounded were brought 
off by these brave men, — the dead they left on the 
field for want of proper support. We will not take 
upon us to tell of the behavior of the rear. So far we 
know, they took to flight the first firing. Gen. Her- 
kimer is wounded; Col. Cox seemingly killed and a 
great many officers are among the slain. We are 
surrounded by Tories, a party of one hundred of whom 
are now on their march through the woods. We re- 
fer you for further information to the bearer. Major 
Watts of the enemy is killed, Joseph Brant, William 
Johnson, several known Tories and a number of 
Indians. 

Gentlemen, we pray you will send us succor. By 
the death of most part of our committee members, 
the field officers and General being wounded, every- 
thing is out of order; the people entirely dispirited, 
our country at Esopus unrepresented, that we can not 
hope to stand it any longer without your aid; we 



190 The Historic Mohawk 

will not mention the shocking aspect our fields do 
show. 

Faithful to our country, we remain, 

Your sorrowful brethren, the few remaining 
members of the Committee 

Peter S, Dygert, Chairman. 

To the Chairman of the Committee of A Ibany. 

Meanwhile, the soldiers of the garrison of Fort 
Stanwix were shut off from the Americans of the 
outside world. The situation was not desperate 
in all respects. The artillery of the enemy made 
little impression upon the walls of the fort which 
might have held out indefinitely, had there been an 
adequate supply of provisions. As it was plain, 
however, that eventual starvation faced them, 
unless presently relieved, it was determined to 
effect a communication with their friends. 

Again came to the front that dashing officer, 
Marinus Willett. Choosing Major Stockwell for 
his companion, the two ventured forth, at dead 
of night, on the evening of the tenth. Undis- 
covered, they passed the sentries, crawling on 
hands and knees along the edge of a morass — then 
crossing the river on a log. Unencumbered by even 
a blanket, they made their way, with no provisions 
save crackers and cheese, and a small canteen of 
spirits, and their only armor a spear apiece. A 
few berries gathered on the way eked out their 
supply of food, and at 3 p. M. on August 12th, 
they reached Fort Dayton. To their joy they 



Rifle and Tomahawk 191 

learned that orders had already been given for 
the relief of the fort, and the Colonel rode on 
horseback to Albany to meet Benedict Arnold, 
who was to command, and accompanied him to 
Fort Dayton. 

Meanwhile, the following manifesto had been 
issued, and directed to the American patriots: 

BY BARRY ST. LEGER, ESQ. 

Commander-in-chief of a chosen body of troops 
from the grand army, as well as an extensive corps 
of Indian allies from all the nations, &c., &c. 

The forces entrusted to my command are designed 
to act in concert, and upon a common principle, with 
the numerous armies and fleets which already dis- 
play, in every quarter of America, the power, justice, 
and, when properly sought, the mercy of the King. 

The cause in which the British arms are thus exerted 
applies to the most affecting interest of the human 
heart, and the military servants of the Crown, at first 
called forth for the sole purpose of restoring the rights 
of the constitution, now combine with love of their 
country and duty to their sovereign, the other incite- 
ments which spring from a due sense of the general 
privileges of mankind. To the eyes and ears of the 
temperate part of the public, and to the breast of suf- 
fering thousands in the provinces, be the melancholy 
appeal, whether the present unnatural rebellion has 
not been made a foundation for the completest system 
of tyranny that ever God in his displeasure suffered 
for a time to be exercised over a froward and stubborn 
generation. Arbitrary imprisonment, confiscation of 



192 The Historic Mohawk 

property, persecution and torture unprecedented in 
the inquisitions of the Romish Church, are among the 
palpable enormities that verify the affirmative. These 
are inflicted by Assemblies and Committees, who 
dare to profess themselves friends to liberty, upon 
the most quiet subjects, without distinction of age or 
sex, for the sole crime, often for the sole suspicion, of 
having adhered in principle to the government under 
which they were born, and to which b}^ every tie divine 
and human they owe allegiance. To consummate 
these shocking proceedings, the profanation of religion 
is added to the most profligate prostitution of common 
reason ; the consciences of men are set at nought ; and 
multitudes are compelled not only to bear arms, but 
also to swear subjection to an usurpation they abhor. 

Animated by these considerations; at the head of 
troops in the full powers of health, discipline and valor, 
determined to strike when necessary, and anxious to 
spare when possible; I by these presents invite and 
exhort all persons, in all places where the progress 
of this army may point, and by the blessing of God I 
will extend it far, to maintain such a conduct as may 
justify me in protecting their lands, habitations, and 
families. The intention of this address is to hold 
forth security, not depredation to the country. 

To those whose spirit and principle may induce to 
partake the glorious task of redeeming their country- 
men from dungeons, and re-establishing the blessings 
of legal government, I offer encouragement and em- 
plo3^ment; and upon the first intelligence of their as- 
sociations, I will find means to assist their undertaking. 
The domestic, the industrious, the infirm, and even the 
timid inhabitants, I am desirous to protect, provided 




Rifle and Tomahawk 193 

they remain quietly at their houses ; that they do not 
suffer their cattle to be removed, nor their corn or 
forage to be secreted or destroyed; that they do not 
break up their bridges or roads; nor by any other 
acts, directly or indirectly, endeavor to obstruct the 
operations of the King's troops or supply or assist 
those of the enemy. Every species of provision 
brought to my camp will be paid for at an equitable 
rate and in solid coin. If notwithstanding these 
endeavors and sincere inclinations to effect them, the 
frenzy of hostility should remain, I trust I shall stand 
acquitted in the eyes of God and man, in denouncing 
and executing the vengeance of the State against the 
wilful outcasts. The messengers of justice and of 
wrath convict them in the field, and devastation, 
famine, and every concomitant horror that a reluctant 
but indispensable prosecution of military duty must 
occasion, will bar the way to their return. 

Barry St. Leger. 
Camp before Fort Stanwix, August ye loth, 1777. 
By order of the Commander-in-chief, 
Will. Osb. Hamilton, Secretary. 

During the absence of Willett, the American 
troops stationed at Fort Dayton had surprised a 
secret meeting at the house of a neighboring 
loyalist. Among others captured there was Walter 
N. Butler, who had brought with him the following 
appeal to the people, signed by John Johnson, 
Daniel W. Claus, and himself. 

Camp before Fort Stanwix, August 13, 1777. 
To the Inhabitants of Tryon County. 

Notv/ithstanding the many and great injuries we 
13 



194 The Historic Mohawk 

have received in person and property at your hands, 
and being at the head of victorious troops, we most ar- 
dently wish to have peace restored to this once happy 
country ; to obtain which we are willing and desirous, 
upon proper submission on your parts, to bury in 
oblivion all that is past and hope that you are, or -mil 
be, convinced in the end that we were your friends and 
good adv'isers, and not such wicked, designing men as 
those who led you into error and almost total ruin. 
You have, no doubt, great reason to dread the resent- 
ment of the Indians, on account of the loss they sus- 
tained in the late action and the morbid obstinacy of 
your troops in this garrison, who have no resource 
but in themselves ; for which reason it is become your 
indispensable duty, as you must answer the conse- 
quences, to send a deputation of your principal 
people to oblige them immediately to what, in a very 
little time, they must be forced, — the surrender of the 
garrison — in which case we will engage, on the faith 
of Christians, to protect you from the violence of the 
Indians. 

Surrounded as you are by victorious armies, one- 
half (if not the greater part) of the inhabitants friends 
to government, without any resource, surely you 
cannot hesitate a moment to accept the terms pro- 
posed to you by friends and well-wishers to the 
covmtry. 

John Johnson ) 

D. W. Claus \ Superintendents. 

John Butler ) 

These effusions brought out the following 
spirited reply: 



Rifle and Tomahawk 195 

By the Hon. Benedict Arnold, Esq., Major General 
and Commander-in-chief of the army of the United 
States of America on the Mohawk River. 

Whereas a certain Barry St. Leger, a Brigadier 
General in the service of George of Great Britain, 
at the head of a banditti of robbers, murderers and 
traitors, composed of savages of America, and more 
savage Britons (among whom is the noted Sir John 
Johnson, John Butler and Daniel Glaus) have lately 
appeared in the frontiers of the State and have 
threatened ruin and destruction to all the inhabitants 
of the United States. They have also, by artifice and 
misrepresentation, induced many of the ignorant and 
unwary subjects of these States to forfeit their alle- 
giance to the same and join with them in their atrocious 
crimes, and parties of treachery and parricide. 

Humanity to those poor deluded wretches, who are 
hastening blindfold to destruction, induces me to 
offer them and all others concerned (whether Savages, 
Germans, Americans or Britons) Pardon, provided 
they do, within ten days from the date hereof, come 
in and lay down their arms, sue for protection, and 
swear allegiance to the United States of America. 

But if still blind to their own interest and safety, 
they obstinately persist in their wicked courses, 
determining to draw on themselves the just vengeance 
of Heaven, and of their exasperated country, they must 
expect no mercy from either. B.Arnold, M. G. 

Given under my hand. Head-quarters, 
German Flatts, 20th August, 1777. 

Meanwhile nearer and nearer to Fort Stanwix 
came the beleaguering force and lower and lower 



196 The Historic Mohawk 

grew the stock of provisions within. Some of the 
officers began to consider whether it would not be 
better to surrender than to starve. Not so the 
gallant G ansevoort . who had made up his mind to 
a night sally, if nothing else would serve. General 
Arnold, waiting for reinforcements, did not move, 
but contrived to send messages of encouragement 
to the fort. At length, fearing disaster in further 
delay, on the moniing of the twentj'-third, he set 
out, and was met with the joyful news that the 
siege was at an end. 

Han Yost Schuyler, a half Tory, half lunatic, a 
singular character of the valley, had been found 
at the Tor}^ gathering near Fort Dayton and con- 
demned to die. For him his mother pleaded in 
vnld, eloquent strains, the stem Benedict Arnold 
acting as the judge. At length, Han Yost's 
brother Nicholas was accepted as a hostage and 
Han Yost was given his life on condition of acting 
a part. His clothing having been purposely 
riddled with bullets, he suddenly appeared before 
St. Leger and his encampment and was finally 
taken to the presence of the commandant him- 
self. Narrating some facts and inventing, he told 
of his capture, his condemnation, and escape; of 
the multitudinous forces marching to the relief 
of Fort Stanwix, — as many as the leaves to which 
he pointed. An Oneida nmner, with several 
friends, also dropped in among the Indians and 
created a panic among them. They started to 
decamp. He tried to detain them, but mischie- 



Rifle and Tomahawk 197 

vous Indians raised a shout, — "They are coming! 
They are coming!" Throwing away their arms, 
the British army took to their heels, leaving their 
tents standing and many valuables behind. The 
Indians accompanied them in haste, making up, 
occasionally, on the way, for their disappointment 
in the matter of scr>]ps by plundering and murder- 
ing whatever soldiers, American or British, became 
stragglers from the main army. They were angry, 
indeed. They had not been allowed, as they had 
been promised, to sit by and smoke their pipes, and 
afterwards to scalp, but had borne the bnmt of 
battle and lost many of their best chiefs. 

Thus the disconsolate British army made its 
sorry retreat to Canada, the Mohawk Valley was 
saved, the armies of Clinton, Burgoyne, and 
St. Leger failed to keep their appointment at 
Albany, and the siege of Fort Schuyler was at an 
end. 

The following forts were in existence at the 
beginning of the Revolution, all more or less out 
of repair: Fort Stanwix, at the present Rome; 
old Fort Schuyler at the present Utica; Fort 
Dayton near the site of the court-house at Her- 
kimer; Fort Herkimer, on the Mohawk, near the 
mouth of the West Canada Creek, and Fort 
Hunter, at the mouth of Schoharie Creek. Fort 
Plain, about half a mile west of the present village 
of that name, was probably garrisoned in 1777. 
A three-story blockhouse^ was erected a little 

' "This was in all probability the 'Fort Rensselaen' mentioned 



198 The Historic Mohawk 

to the north in 1780 and 1781. During the Re- 
volution, the name Fort Rensselaer was frequently 
applied to Fort Plain or the blockhouse in its 
vicinity. During the war, Forts Plank, Clyde, 
and Willett were built in the present town of 
Minden. Schenectady, Johnson Hall, Queen 
Anne's Chapel, and the islands at the mouth of the 
Mohawk were fortified. Quite a number of the 
more substantial private houses were also made 
ready for defence, among which might be named 
the old Van Alstyne buUding and Forts Ehle, 
Failing, Wagner, Fox, Hess, Paris, Windecker, 
Klock, and Timmerman. Eariy in 1776, Colonel 
Van Schaick with his regulars was stationed at 
JohnstowTL and Colonel Dayton with his troops 
was posted at German Flats. 

There was still mourning throughout the valley. 
Half of the brave little band who marched to 
Oriskany had marched never to return. One 
half of the wives were widows, one half of the 
children were fatherless. 

To the troubled condition of the frontier the 
following extract from a petition of August 28, 
1777, will testify: 

To the honorable the Council of Safety of the State of 
New York. 

The Memorial of William Harper and Frederick 

in t!he court-martial proceedings against Gen. Robert Van Rens- 
selaer. " — Tryon County Minute Book — from notes by Samuel 
Ludlow Frey. 



Rifle and Tomahawk 199 

Fisher in behalf of themselves and the Inhabitants of 
Tryon County Humbly Sheweth 

That the late Incursions of the Enemy and their 
Savages into the said County and upon a part of the 
County have reduced the Inhabitants to the utmost 
distress. The Harvests not yet gathered in are rot- 
ting upon the Ground. The Grass uncut. The fallow 
fields not yet ploughed. The Cattle in a great measure 
destroyed. 

That altho' by the Blessing of God the siege of 
Fort Schuyler hath been raised, yet the Inhabitants 
labour under the greatest Apprehension, and in the 
opinion of your memorialists those apprehensions are 
not ill-founded. The known method of warfare 
among the Savages and the Infamy annexed to those 
who suffer their Friends to fall unrevenged, gives but 
too much reason to believe that the Fears of those 
unhappy People will be realized. 

The above was one of several pitiful appeals for 
relief. 

Petty raids were of constant occurrence. Such 
a one took place at Fairfield about the middle 
of March, 1778, another at Snyder's Bush about 
two weeks later, still another at Tilleborough, the 
present town of Ephratah, on the 30th of April. 

On the i8th of July, 1778, a little hamlet called 
Andrustown, in the vicinity of German Flats, 
somewhat to the southeast was attacked by 
Indians under Brant. Houses were looted and 
destroyed, four men were killed, — one burned 
in his own house. Others were taken captive. 



200 The Historic Mohawk 

A small pursuing party of Whigs followed, but, 
being unable to overtake the enemy, in revenge, 
burned a part of Young's settlement near Otsego 
Lake, a small collection of houses erected by 
people whose leader was a Tory. 

Still appeals for help came flying in, one of the 
most imperative being that of Colonel Bellinger 
to Colonel Klock. 

Palentine September i6th 1778. 

Sir, This Evening came John Helmer, one of the 
Nine Men of the Rangers which we sent out on Mon- 
day last; they was attacked at Major Edmesson's place 
and only one has escaped, the said John Helmer ; what 
is become of the rest he cannot tell. The Enemy, after 
he making his Escape passed by him in the Bush; 
about two O'clock this afternoon about Nine Miles 
from the German Flats he laid behind a Tree and 
counted about 200 Men, but he thinks that he did not 
count above half and as we expect them this Night or 
at farthest to Morrow Morning now is the Time for 
you to assist us. Therefore, I humbly beg for God 
sake to assist us all that lays in your power and let 
your people travel all Night for our assistance. 
I am yours, 

Colonel Peter Bellinger. 

We have the order of Colonel Klock for the 
immediate advance of troops, but reinforcements 
did not arrive in time. 

On the same evening, a rainy night, the warrior 
Brant, with a large force of Indians, encamped 



Rifle and Tomahawk 201 

in a ravine on the south side of the river, near 
the. German Flats (originally Burnetsfield) . Here 
stood the fine stone residence of the Herkimers 
and the old stone church. On the opposite side 
was reared Fort Dayton, on the site of the present 
lovely town of Herkimer. Before the dawn the 
savages were about, — but, unknown to them, the 
people, forewarnevl by a brave scout, John Helmer, 
had gathered in the forts, where they watched, in 
heart-broken admiration, the great illumination, 
as, simultaneously, at daybreak, their homes were 
committed to the flames, and the savages, dis- 
appointed of bloodshed and scalps, were rushing 
down into the meadows to drive off the cattle. 
The loss in human lives was two. The property 
loss has been given as of ^ "63 dwelling-houses, 57 
barns, 3 grist-mills and 2 saw-mills burnt with 
most of the furniture and grain kept therein; and 
235 houses, 229 homed cattle, 269 sheep and 93 
oxen, taken and carried away." Many valuable 
articles of furniture had been saved by the vil- 
lagers and removed into the fort by means of 
boats. 2 "The settlement, which but the day 
before for ten miles had smiled in plenty and in 
beauty was now houseless and destitute." 

The militia gathered and pursued with little 
result, but a body of Oneida Indians followed to 
Unadilla, burned some houses, brought back a few 
of the cattle, and took several prisoners. 

' Benton, History of Herkimer Co., p. 88. 
2 Stone's Life of Joseph Brant, vol. i., p. 365. 



202 The Historic Mohawk 

The fears of the people of Tryon at this time 
are well set forth in the following petition : 

Tryon County, 

August 4th 1779 

May it please your Excellency; The humble Peti- 
tion of the Freeholders and inhabitants of Tryon Co, — 
setting forth the great Distresses they labour under on 
account of the Indians ; whereof Numbers pretending 
to be friends, stroll about the County, draw and eat up 
our provisions, and are fed by public Stores, whilst 
they watch to cut our Throats. Severall Instances of 
this kind have allready happened, which can be 
proved and a Number of the Inhabitants have been 
murdered and scalped, some of which are alive yet, by 
pretended Friends. If it could be supposed, that 
there are some trusty enough not to avail themselves 
of the opportunities of Murder and Rapine (a thing 
very unwillingly believed by those.who are acquainted 
with the Nature of Savages, and who are so unlucky as 
to be near them, as to be teached by Experience, 
which is the Case of yotu: Petitioners,) who can know 
whether he be met by an Honest One or a ravinous 
creature. Your Petitioners therefore, humbly beg 
that such Regulations might be made that the Friend 
Indians be called in to live in an inner part of the 
Country and that all found at the Frontiers should be 
treated as Enemies. We do not doubt but it is 
generally evident that those who bear the Name of 
Friends at best are but a Cover to the Enemy, and 
that it must be indifferent to the Indians where they 
eat the public provisions. 

Rel)dng on your Excellency's Goodness to tacke our 



Rifle and Tomahawk 203 

Grievances into your most serious Consideration, we 
humbly beg your recommendation of the premises 
to the Legislature and otherwise to grant us such 
speedy relief, as in your Wisdom you think meet; and 
your Petitioners as in Duty bound will ever pray 

Even more terrible than the red men to the 
patriotic denizens of the valley were their own 
former neighbors, sometimes brothers and friends, 
— the loyalists. Coming back from Canada in 
war-paint and feathers, often was their presence 
revealed by a bit of fair skin whence the paint 
had been rubbed, or the lighter- toned eyes of a 
"blue-eyed Indian." At home, also, were these 
"King's men" harboring their friends when they 
returned as spies, and marking for destruction 
the houses not bearing the Tory sign — the skull- 
bone of a horse placed upon the top of a stake. 
Particularly was this the case at the former home 
of the Johnsons. 

Many were the prisoners borne away to Canada, 
suffering hardships of every description — some 
never to return, some, after romantic adventures, 
finally escaping or being restored in time to their 
homes. Of the experiences sometimes incurred 
in captivity we have a striking example in the 
deposition of Moses Younglove. 

Moses Younglove, surgeon of Gen. Herkimer's 
brigade of militia, deposeth and saith, that being in 
the battle of said militia above Oriskany, on the 6th 
of August last, toward the close of said battle, he 



204 The Historic Mohawk 

surrendered himself a prisoner to a savage, who 
immediately gave him up to a sergeant of Sir John 
Johnson's regiment; soon after which a Lieutenant 
in the Indian department, came up in company with 
several tories, when said Mr. Grinnis by name, drew 
his tomahawk at this deponent, and with a deal of 
persuasion was hardly prevailed on to spare his life. 
He then plundered him of his watch, buckles, spurs, 
etc., and other tories following his example, stripped 
him almost naked with a great many threats, while 
they were stripping and massacreing prisoners on 
every side. That this deponent was brought before 
Mr. Butler, Sen, who demanded of him what he was 
fighting for? to which deponent answered; "He fought 
for the liberty that God and nature gave him, and to 
defend himself and dearest connexions from the mas- 
sacre of the savages." To which Butler replied: "You 
are a d d impudent rebel " ; and so saying immedi- 
ately turned to the savages, encouraging them to kill 
him and if they did not, the deponent and the other per- 
sons should be hanged on the gallows then preparing. — 
That several prisoners were then taken forward to the 
enemy's headquarters with frequent scenes of horror 
and massacre, in which tories were active as well as 
savages; and in particular one Davis, formerly known 
in Tryon county on the Mohawk river. That Lieut. 
Singleton, of Sir John Johnson's regiment being 
wounded, entreated the savages to kill the prisoners, 
which they accordingly did, as nigh as this deponent 
can judge, about six or seven. 

That Isaac Paris Esq. was also taken the same road 
without receiving from them any remarkable insult, 
except stripping until some tories came up who kicked 
and abused him, after which the savages, thinking 



Rifle and Tomahawk 205 

him a notable ofifender, murdered him barbarousl5\ 
That those of the prisoners who were delivered up to 
the provost guards were ordered not to use any 
violence in protecting the prisoners from the savages 
who came every day with knives, feeling of the prison- 
ers to know which were fattest. That they dragged 
one of the prisoners out of the guard with the most 
lamentable cries; 'ortured him for a long time, and 
this deponent was informed by both tories and In- 
dians, that they ate him, as appears they did another, 
on an island on Lake Ontario, by bones found there 
nearly picked, just after they had crossed the lake 
with the prisoners. That the prisoners who were not 
delivered up were murdered in considerable numbers 
from day to day round the camp, some of them so 
nigh that their shrieks were heard. That Capt. 
Martin, of the bateaux-men, was delivered to the 
Indians at Oswego, on pretense of his having kept 
back some usefiil intelligence. That this deponent, 
during his imprisonment, and his fellows, were kept 
almost starved for provisions, and what they drew 
were of the worst kind such as spoiled flour, biscuit 
full of maggots and mouldy, and no soap allowed, or 
other method of keeping clean, and were insulted, 
struck, etc., without mercy by the guards, without any 
provocation given. That this deponent was informed 
by several sergeants orderly on St. Leger, that twenty 
dollars were offered in general orders for every 

American scalp. 

Moses Younglove. 

John Barclay, Chairman of Albany Committee. 

Many were the inducements offered to enlist 
union men as loyalists. When Godfrey Shew 



2o6 The Historic Mohawk 

was captive Sir John requested him to use his 
influence over his fellow prisoners to persuade 
them to enlist in the loyalist cause. The next 
morning, a recruiting officer boarded the ship 
to be thus introduced by Mr. Shew: 

Here is a recruiting officer come to enlist you in the 
British service! My lads, if any of you want to sell 
your country for a green coat with red facings, and a 
cap with a lock of red horse-hair hanging down one 
side of it, you now have a good chance! 

No recruits were obtained. 
In reply to a letter from Walter Butler we have 
the following from Governor Clinton: 

Albany, Jan'y ist 1779. 
Sir, a letter dated the 12th of November last signed 
by you and directed to Genl. Schuyler and which you 
delivered to John Campbell is come to hand; as its 
contents related to Persons who were Citizens of 
the State, with which the Military don't interfere, 
the Letter was not delivered to Brig't Genl. Hand, 
who then commanded in this department, but trans- 
mitted to His Excellency Governor Clinton, that his 
Pleasure might be known on its Contents. He has 
authorized me to make the Exchange you request. I 
am at a loss to know where to direct to you, but also to 
what part of the Country the Unhappy Prisoners 
taken from this State have been carried. I therefore 
send the Bearers John Campbell and Newkirk, with a 
Flagg to carry this Letter to any place, where they 



Rifle and Tomahawk 207 

may learn where you are or any other officer who can 
afford the Exchange in your Absence. 

Should the Prisoners be in any of the Indian Villages, 
and in a Condition to be moved you will please to send 
them to the nearest of our Settlements, or if you do 
not chuse to do that, I will send proper Persons to 
treat and receive them at any place you may 
appoint. 

I am not informed if Mrs. Butler, her Famely and 
such others as will be given in exchange for those you 
have in captivity and those you have suffered to return 
as mentioned in your Letter, would chuse to move 
at this inclement Season; if they do, they shall be 
sent, if not, they may remain until Spring, and then 
may either go to Oswego or Canada at their option. 

Should the Prisoners, taken at Cherry Valley, or 
any others belonging to this State be at Niagara, it 
will be impossible for them to return until Spring, 
and then I request that they may be sent to Oswego 
or Fort Schuyler, and that you will send notice of 
your determination that Provision may be made 
accordingly. 

Do not flatter yourself. Sir, that your Father's 
Family have been detained on acc't of any Conse- 
quence they were supposed to be of or that it is 
determined they should be exchanged, in considera- 
tion of the Threat contained in your Letter. I should 
hope for the honor of civilised nations and the sake 
of human nature, that the British Officers had exerted 
themselves in restraining the Barbarities of the 
Savages; but it is difficult even for the most dis- 
interested mind to believe it as numerous Instances of 
Barbarities having been perpetrated where Savages 
were not present, or, if they were, British force was 



2o8 The Historic Mohawk 

sufficient to have restrained them, had there been a 
real desire so to do. 

The enormous murders committed at Wyoming 
and Cherry Valley would clearly have justified a 
retaliation, and that your Mother did not fall a 
Sacrifice to the Resentment of the survivors of those 
families who were so barbarously massacred, is 
owing to the humane Principles which the Conduct 
of their Enemies induced a belief that they are utter 
Strangers to. 

That the Tory women also had their trials the 
follo^^'ing attests: 

Sept 1779 — 

To his Excellency George Clinton, Governor and 
Commander in Chief of the State of New York. 
The Humble Petition of Chris'n M<= Donald, Kate 
M<=Intosh, Ann M<=Donald, Else ^PDonald, Ann 
M<=Pherson, jMary McDonald, Molly Pescod and 
many other families Sheweth; That your Petitioners 
are reduc'd to the greatest distress imaginable by 
ha\'ing their Cattle and Effects sold by the Commis- 
sioners of Sequestration and no way of getting a 
living where they might support themselves until! 
some Exchange might be made from Canada. And 
yovir Petitioners spoke to your Excellency's Brother, 
the General, when he was in Johns Town, and he told 
your Petitioners they would go in May, so that your 
Petitioners Planted nothing in hopes of being sent 
away, which makes their distress now the greater as 
winter coming on and no Pro\4sion made for it. 
Therefore, humbly hope your Excellency will give 



Rifle and Tomahawk 209 

your Petitioners permission to go to Canada to their 
Husbands, and if that cannot be comply'd with your 
Petitioners hope your Excellency will allow them some 
small support untill an Exchange may take place. 
And your Petitioners shall ever Pray. 

Palatine March 17 1780. 

Dear Sir: On Tuesday last we had an account that 
a party of the enemy had been discovered between 
Fort Schuyler and the German Flatts and that from 
their course it was thought they Intended to fall in at 
Reimensnyder's Bush (four miles north of the Little 
Falls). Unluckily, thro' the Negligence of someone 
who was Intrusted with the Message, it did not reach 
the Bush till the evening following; on Wednesday 
about one O' Clock afternoon the party fell in, killed 
one man, and took Captain John Keyser (an Uncle 
of my wife's) with two sons, one Klock and one Shafer, 
Prisoners, — the Party Burned Captn Keyser's House, 
Killed his Sheep &c and took away his provisions 
and best Effects leaving Mrs. Keyser with three 
small Children, destitute of Cloathing or any other 
necessary of life, — from the Information Mrs. Keyser 
gives the Party consisted of Fifty men chiefly Tories 
whom as they were dressed in Paint, she could not 
know. 

A detachment of our Militia went up but for the 
want of Snow-Shoes could make no pursuit. 

As the Tracks of the Enemy crossed from the south 
to the North side of the River we judge they have 
come thro' the County of the five Nations. 

People that have as little confidence as I put in our 
Oneidas, allied, think as I do that the Oneidas have 
14 



210 The Historic Mohawk 

known of this Party and very probably been harbored 
there. 

I am informed that a Number of women (Tories) 
arc now at Saratoga, from whence they are to go to 
Canada as soon as the lakes open ; as this will neces- 
sarily open a correspondence between the Command- 
ing officer here, and the one in Canada on the subject 
of an Exchange of Prisoners, I beg the favour of you 
to mention the above to the commanding Officer of 
the Northern Department, and to use your Influence 
to have Capt. Kcyser and the unfortunate prisoners 
NAnth him, exchanged in the spring; from the many 
former Instances of Friendship I have received at 
your hands I cannot doubt but you v^nll be pleased to 
comply mth my request in this particular. 

The Irruption of this party so early, Indicates not 
only a Troublesome but Dangerous Summer to us in 
these parts. I wish those who have the Superin- 
tendence of aft'airs to be assured that imless a Number 
of Troops are sent up speedily, who with the occasional 
assistance of the Militia can repel the incursions of 
the enemy that very few of the People will think it 
safe to remain here ; the County is very extensive and 
lies open on all sides to the Inroads of the savages. I 
need not describe to you the Distresses of such as are 
obliged to abandon their Habitations and the conse- 
quent Distress and inconvenience of such as they fly 
to for refuge; besides the preventing of which, the 
crops, now in the ground, and those to be put in must 
(I should rather say ought) to be saved or there will 
be a famine for those who now reside here. I have 
every opportunity to con\dnce myself that people 
have Bread for no longer than the ensuing Harvest, — 
Indeed too many have not that. 



Rifle and Tomahawk 211 

It may appear that this letter is dictated from a 
spirit of despondence. It is true I feel for my fellow 
creatures and that from the Belief I have that this 
country will suffer bitterly unless we have relief sent 
up. 

With this you will receive a Letter to my Father 
which be pleased to Forward. I have wrote to him 
for permission to 'end my wife and Children with 
some of my Effects to him as soon as the river opens. 
I am with my best respects to your family your most 
Obedient Servt 

Christ'r p. Yates. 
The Hon'ble Abraham Yates, Esqr. 
(Forwarded to Gov. Clinton.) 

To guard against Tories who frequently re- 
turned to Johnstown by way of Sacandaga, a 
small blockhouse was built in 1779, a few miles 
south of that point. On the ist of January, 1780, 
the garrison broke up. Danger was no longer 
expected. In March there was again a partial 
garrison, which was withdrawn the 1st of April. 
One Solomon Woodworth was then living in the 
house. 

On that same night seven Indians attacked the 
house, attempting to set fire to it by means of 
torches. The dog, awakened, alarmed his master, 
who, bounding out, knocked the torches into the 
snow, regaining the house, almost unwounded, and 
barred the door against his foes. Firing through a 
loophole, he wounded one of the men, who was 
then borne away by his companions. All were 



212 The Historic Mohawk 

finally overtaken in camp and slain by Woodworth 
and volunteers with him. 

At the head of a regiment of his Royal Greens, 
some British troops, and some two hundred Tories 
and Indians, in all five hundred men. Sir John 
Johnson entered the neighborhood of Johnstovra 
on Sunday, the 2ist of May, bringing ruin and 
devastation in his train. Just before striking the 
village, the army was divided, — one detachment to 
descend upon the valley in the vicinity of Tribes 
Hill, the other to march to Johnson Hall. 

At midnight the dwellers at Tribes Hill were 
rudely awakened. Houses were plundered, then 
put to the torch. Men were shot down and 
scalped. Messrs. Hansen, Piatt, and Aldridge 
and three Visscher brothers, who were scalped, 
were among the victims. 

Sir John secured from the Hall his buried plate 
and treasures, which were then borne away in the 
knapsacks of forty of the soldiers. Among the 
prisoners captured were the Sammons brothers. 
All houses at Caughnawaga were burned and 
several people killed, among whom were four old 
men over eighty years of age. 

Fort Stone Arabia, May 23d 1780 
Sir: I received yours of the 15th Instant, an answer 
to mine of the 13th, wherein I gave you a Particular 
Account of the Enemy's design and find also that 
Genl. Tenbrock had his orders to cooperate with and 
furnish me with as much aid from his Brigade as may 
appear requisite, and in his Power to give, and I also 




General Herkimer Monument 
Photograph by M. J. Bucklin 



Rifle and Tomahawk 213 

Requested assistance of him, but have not seen a 
man yet, nor heard that they was on their march to 
our assistance ; all the assistance I get of him is by fair 
Promises by paper and Ink, but not a man. 

Sir, I must inform you to my sorrow that Sir John 
Johnson with 400 wight and 200 Indians made an 
Approach and attacked the Mohock District in our 
County the 226. In-^tant, and have Burnt all the houses 
and Barns from below Tripes hill to Anthony's Nose, 
excepting a few Tories' Houses, being about twelve 
or thirteen Miles the Number of Houses. I can give 
no Account at Present; all the Acct I can give you 
at Present of killed and taken is nine kilted and thirty- 
three Prisoners, amongst which Colo. Fisher's two 
Brothers are kilted and he himself scalped and badly 
wounded. Major Fonda's Father is kilted. 

Immediately in Receiving Intelligence from the 
Enemies approach I ordered all the young men out and 
left the old men in the Forts; also Colo. Clyde turns 
out with his young men ; we mustered about 300 men 
and followed the Enemy to Johns Town, where they 
came in sight of them, but finding themselves too 
weak to attack or pursue them, they Returned to this 
Place again, where we are together in a miserable 
Circumstances the Enemy is at Johns Town yet and 
the tories joining them very fast. I expect every 
minute this Place will be attackted. We have in- 
teUigence that Joseph Brant with a Strong party 
would attackt the South Side of the River this day 
and would make a sweep of it if he could. 

Just as I was writing this Letter I discovered a 
Great Smoke on the South side of the River towards 
Corvels Kill and Turlag [Dorlach]. Col. Clyde was 
with me just now, and when he discovered the smoke 



214 The Historic Mohawk 

above mentioned, he returned to Fort Plank with his 
men; so it seems we can no longer assist each other; 
therefore I beseech you would afford as soon as 
possible all the assistance you can, othenvise we 
shall be left a meal to our Cruel Enemy. I am your 
Excellencies most obedient Servant 

Jacob Klock, Coll. 
His Excellency Geo. Clinton Esqr. 

Since this letter was wrote a man arrived here, that 
made his escape from the enemy, who informed that 
he left them about Eleven O'Clock this day, about 4 
miles from Johns Town, that they spoke of attackting 
this Place and that they were about 700 Strong. 

Also an Express arrived by which I learn that 
another party have appeared at Snell's Bush about 
13 Miles up the River. 

J.K. 

7 o'clock P.M. Schenectady 
23d May 1780. 

Dr. Sir: You doubtless have been Informed of the 
misfortune that has befel Tryon County, those who 
are nigher the Scene of distress I imagine feel it more 
forcibly than those at a distance. The Enemy 
yesterday morning began at the foot of Tripes Hill 
and burned before them to Anthony's Nose, they 
finished at the Widow Ecker's, a few houses only are 
saved; a Negro just came in who Informs that he 
belonged to John Fonda; was taken with his master 
and left the Enemy at four o' Clock this morning, two 
miles back of Johnstown; he says, that there were 
about forty white men prisoners; a great number of 
Blacks are gone off with Sir John, that being with his 







c2 £ 



Rifle and Tomahawk 215 

master John Fonda, he heard much discourse between 
him and Sir John ; that Sir John upbraided him with 
the part he had acted and observed that if he had 
taken his, Sir John's advice, Fonda would have 
avoided all the Calamities that had now befallen him ; 
he further mentioned that Brandt was to be down and 
Burn the South Side of the Mohawk River and that 
the Country would all be laid waste and wondered 
what kept him ; he likewise Say that a great number 
of disaffected Came to Sr. John and took protection; 
old Mr. Fonda is killed, two of Collo' Fisher's Brothers, 
himself Scalped and Badly wounded. The Schenec- 
tady militia marched on the first alarm. Several are 
Returned for want of provision ; the militia of Albany 
marched two hours ago from this place, a few excepted 
who have horses. I am Induced to believe that Sir 
John Intends to Remain where he is in order to 
Cooperate with Brandt; the Negroes who are with 
him are all armed; about thirty, nine months men, are 
in the fort at Johnstown, this place the Enemy did not 
dare attack; their force from the best Information 
Consists of about five hundred ; a Company of British, 
a Number of Hessian Yagers, part of Sr John's Regi- 
ments and between two or three hundred Indians. 

24th May 5 o'clock p.m. An express arrived and 
brought the Inclosed account. I believe we are about 
300 the greater part Six miles above, this may be at 
Johnstown by two o' Clock. I hope our party may 
have force Sufificient to attack them. It is impossible 
to paint the distress the Country is in. 

Col. Van Schaick is with the militia I am in haste, 
Dr sir, your Excellency's most obdt Servt. 

John Taylor 
Gov. Clinton 



2i6 The Historic Mohawk 

Fort Plank August 2d 1780 7 o'Clock 
Sir: Yesterday I detached two officers and thirty 
men of mine and Collo. Cuyler's Regt. at the Willigas 
to wait the arrival of a Convoy of Boats at that place 
and with the rest of our men we proceeded to Caugh- 
nawaga, where we arrived last Evening and at four 
this morning we began our march and arrived at 
Canajoharie opposite to Mr. Frey's about eleven, 
with an Intention to halt till they arrived with the 
Batteaux, which we expect to-morrow about noon; 
immediately after we had cantoned as compact as pos- 
sible our men, we were alarmed with a heavy smoke 
between John Abeail's and Fort Planck about four 
miles distant from where we had taken up our Quar- 
ters. This immediately was confirmed in the Eye 
of our whole Body and found the Enemy was busy 
employed to burn and destroy. 

Instantly I did order both Regiments to be formed 
and proceed against the Enemy who were at that 
time in their full Carear and though our Numbers 
were not equal, yet I can assure you I shall be void 
of Justice if I omitted mentioning their Prudence and 
cool behavior without Distinction to all Rancks. 
And altho' they had been in full march since early 
in the morning they came up with such Vigor that 
the Enemy on our approach gave way and tho* in 
sight we had no opportunity to give them Battle, they 
retired in the usual way. Our first Halt was at a 
Fort erected near Mr. Abeal's House. The In- 
habitants happy to see us. Directly after we had 
refreshed the men a few minutes a Number of Volun- 
teers who were least fateigued joined me with the 
Field officers of both Regiments to see the Fate of this 
Fort, which we found as full of sorrowful weomen 



Rifle and Tomahawk 217 

and Children for their Husbands and Friends which 
were missing. They had, however, not made any 
Attempt to attack this Place. Such a Scean as we 
beheld since we left the River, passing dead Bodies 
of Men and Children most cruelly murdered, is not 
possible to be described. 

I cannot ascertain at present the Number of poor 
Inhabitants killed and missing but believe the Loss 
considerable as the people were all at work in the 
Fields. I have endeavored to obtain the Strength of 
the Enemy; the accounts differ so much that I 
cannot ascertain their Number, but from the many 
Places they sat on Fire, as in one Istant, and from 
parties out in a large Circuit of Country collecting 
and driving off Cattle, I am led to believe that their 
Number is not small ; our men are much fateigued. 

We propose to remain here this Night. In the 
Morning we shall proceed and act as Circumstances 
shall turn up, and will inform you more particulars. 

Some Persons pretend to say not less than one 
hundred dwelling House are burnt. As soon as I can 
any ways collect the more particular Facts, I shall not 
hesitate one Moment to let you know. 

As to General Rensselaer, I have no other account 
from him but that he left Fort Herkimer on Monday 
last in the afternoon; he then by the best accounts I 
have been able to collect, besides the Convoy of Capt. 
Hicks with about fifty Head of Cattle and that his 
party consisted of about five hundred men. I have 
great Reason to believe he has got safe into Fort 
Schuyler. 

The Enemy began setting Fire and destroying some 
way near the place and proceeded on to Canajihary; 
near the River, burnt their Church, Abeal's House and 



2i8 The Historic Mohawk 

its Neighborhood and upwards where they I am lead 
to beHeve got sight of us and then retreated. You will 
please to observe that very great Devestation is 
committed south-west of this place; excuse my Haste 
and the Distressed Situation and Circumstances and 
hope will sufficiently apologize. I'm Dr Gen'l &c. 

Ab'm Wemple. 

(To General Ten Broeck.) 

It was on August 6th, probably at the same 
time, that the brave Christopher Schell, of Schells- 
bush, some four miles from Fort Dayton, was 
attacked by Indians and Tories in his little block- 
housa. His two little sons, who had been sent on 
an errand, were captured, but the father and 
three older sons did good service with rifles, 
firing through loopholes, while Mrs. Schell, with 
an axe, did good execution by bending the barrels 
of the invaders' muskets as they were thrust 
through crannies. The leader. Lieutenant Mc- 
Donald, appearing at the door, demanded sur- 
render, but was wounded and dragged through 
the door into the house. Christopher Schell, 
escaping through an underground opening, in 
stentorian tones simulated the approach of an 
officer in command of troops and the enemy fled, 
having suffered great loss. The wounded Tory, 
McDonald, received medical aid, but eventually 
bled to death. 

Some idea of the distress incident to the times 
may be gathered from the following petition: 



Rifle and Tomahawk 219 

To his Excellency George Clinton Esquire, Gover- 
nor, and Commander in Chief of the State of New 
York. 

The Humble Petition of Mary Tenis, Catharine 
Shefin, Elizabeth Browning, Catharine Ringle, Mar- 
garet Keller, Mary Clements, Elizabeth Irine, 
Susannah Ghene, Gertrude Stinewax, and Magdalena 
Snackin, Widows of New Petersburgh, Kingsland Dis- 
trict in the County of Tryon and State of New York. 

Humbly Sheweth, That your Poor Petitioners are 
all Widows who are left with large Families of Child- 
ren; our husbands are all killed by the Indians and 
now lately, the Indians has Bum'd our houses and 
Bams and taken away and Destroyed, all our Horses 
and Cows. And your Petitioners dare not venture 
home to get our Harvest in. So that we, and our 
Fatherless Children are reduced to Poverty, and must 
inevitable want, if not relieved by your Excellencies 
Humanity and Bounty. 

Your Petitioners begs leave to acquaint Your 
Excellence, that General Van Rensselaer ordered all 
the inhabitants of New Petersburgh to leave the 
Place, and we are now at Fort Dayton, with scarce 
anything to subsist ourselves and Children. 

Your Petitioners therefore Humbly Prays, that 
your Excellency will be pleased to grant, that we may 
draw Provision. Or order your poor Petitioners such 
Relief as yo\ir Excellency out of your abundant 
Goodness, shall think fit. And your Petitioners shall 
ever Pray. 

Fort Dayton, August i8th, 1780. 

The number of those Widows, together with their 
Children is Fourty and four, and all of the Children 
incapable of earning a Livelihood. 



220 The Historic Mohawk 

The Humble Petition of Thomas Shoemaker one 
of the Inhabitants of the German Flatts Humbly 
Sheweth 

That your Petitioner since the present hostilities 
have commenced against Great Britain; have been 
reduced to a very low state by being driven from his 
Habitation with the loss of almost all his cattle. 
That on the Fifth of August last, his Wife and two 
Children was made Prisoners by the Savage Enemy: 
which has left him in a Deplorable Situation with three 
children. Your Petitioner humbly begs your Ex- 
cellency would please to point out to him some means 
by which he may have his Wife and Children restored 
to him again ; as the difficulty attending him with three 
small children left without a Mother makes the situa- 
tion of your Petitioner truly miserable and if there is 
no way or means to have them restored again through 
to your Petitioner. Your Petitioner in Duty bound, 
will ever Pray 

Thomas Shoemaker 
German Flatts, May 2d 1781 

Albany 24th August 1780 

My dear Sir, 

We have just received an Express from Tryon 
County, from Col. Harper, who mentioned that a 
Man employed by Genl. Rensslaer to gett intelligence, 
informs him that Sir John Johnson has sent a party 
into Johnstown, to inforni the Inhabitants that he is 
coming on with about 2000 men, and intends making 
his first stroke at Stone Arabia. That the Inhabitants 
at Johnson's Bush have baked a Quantity of Bread 
for the use of Sir John's men. The General intends 



Rifle and Tomahawk 221 

going immediately to Schenectady to have Scouts 
continually out. 

Genl. Ten Broeck will put the Militia of his Brigade 
(at least such a part as may be necessary) under 
marching Orders, to march at a moment's warning; 
by the Information, Sir John was to have been at 
Johnstown yesterday. He will order Col. Harper to 
Johnson's Bush, and if any Bread can be found seize 
it, and the Persons who have it. His Reason for 
taking Post at Schenectady is that in case there is any 
truth in the account that he may collect a force in 
Person, an Endeavor to confute the designs of the 
Enemy. The Genl. would have wrote himself, but 
is gone to confer with Genl. Ten Broeck. I am Dr 
Sir with much esteem your mo't Ob't Humble 
Servant, 

Lewis R. Morris. 
Gov'r Clinton 

In October of the same year, Sir John, after a 
devastating raid of the settlements at Schoharie, 
struck the Mohawk Valley in the vicinity of 
Fort Hunter on the 17th, and there continued 
the work of destruction. All now remaining of 
Caughnawaga was put to the flames, and still 
upward the army marched, sorrow following in its 
train. The banks of the Mohawk were illuminated 
by the light of the blazing buildings. 

Sir John was pursued by General Robert Van 
Rensselaer at the head of the Claverack and 
Schenectady militia. This officer commanded Col. 
John Brown, then in charge of Fort Paris, a 
small stockade at Stone Arabia, to march out to 



222 The Historic Mohawk 

check the enemy's advance, with assurance that 
he would receive support. 

This brave young man, an accompHshed lawyer, 
a man of Massachusetts birth, on that day at- 
tained to his thirty-sixth year. Marching at the 
head of his little company, he encountered two 
women fleeing from an Indian. The savage red 
man brought down one of them with his musket, 
and was about to scalp her when the militia fire 
rang out. This brought on a general engagement, 
and the Colonel fell at the head of his brave 
troops. The rest (forty to forty-five of whom were 
slain), too feeble to resist, now sought safety in 
flight or continued a scattering fire from the shade 
of sheltering rocks. 

The firing had not yet ceased when General 
Van Rensselaer arrived at the fording place across 
the Mohawk nearly opposite the battle scene. 
Meeting some of the fugitives, he accepted the 
offer of an officer named Van Allen to pilot him 
across the river. First moved over, in expectation 
of the advance of the main body, the commands 
of McKean and "Colonel Louis, " the Oneida chief, 
when to the surprise of all, General Van Rensselaer 
gave up the attempt, and with Colonel Dubois of 
the State levies rode off to Fort Plain for dinner. 

At 4 P.M. when the last man had crossed the 

river, the General arrived and was hailed as a Tory 

by Louis, the Oneida chief, as the latter shook 

his sword. Colonel Harper, too, remonstrated 

on the needless delay. 
13 



Rifle and Tomahawk 223 

1 "Leaving Stone Arabia a desert," Sir John 
continued his march to a point called "Klock's 
Field." Here his fatigued troops rested on a fine 
plain by the riverside and threw up a small breast- 
work. The Indians were posted near at hand in a 
grove of scrub oak. 

Now came up the fresh troops of General Van 
Rensselaer, 15,000 strong. The Indians, soon 
driven from their position, fled to the fording place, 
and thence toward the Susquehanna. At nightfall 
the British works were carried. At this point the 
order came from General Van Rensselaer to fall 
back and encamp. 

Many of the militia refused to obey. Colonel 
Clyde and Colonel Louis and Captain McKean 
hung about the enemy's line and made a few 
prisoners. In the morning. Colonel Van Rensselaer 
advanced to the attack, but it was too late. The 
British army had made good its escape. 

Said Major Sammons: 

When my father's buildings were burned, and my 
brothers taken prisoners, the pain I felt was not as great 
as at the conduct of Genl. Robert Van Rensselaer. ^ 

On the 9th of August, 1781, John Dockstader 
3ntered the Mohawk Valley at Currytown, at the 

' Stone, Life of Joseph Brant, vol. ii., p. ii8. 

2 At the court-martial inquiry regarding the case, General 
Van Rensselaer was exonerated from blame, and his conduct 
characterized as at all times that of a "good, active, faithful, 
prudent and spirited officer." 



224 The Historic Mohawk 

head of about 500 Indians and Tories. The people, 
not anticipating danger, were, for the most part 
at work in the fields or in their homes. The red men 
plundered and burned all houses except that of a 
Tory, killed and scalped several people, and took 
several captives. 

On the same day, it chanced that Captain Gros 
had been despatched from Fort Plain by Colonel 
Willett in search of provisions and possible foes. 
Happening upon the enemy's trail, he sent two 
of his best men to make observations. They 
discovered the late camping-place and a few 
Indians cooking food for the return of their com- 
rades. Word was sent to Colonel Willett, who at 
once forwarded troops. These met the enemy 
at the present town of Sharon. 

By means of decoys, sent to draw the enemy's 
fire and then retreat, Willett brought on an engage- 
ment which proved disastrous to his foes. His 
own men had previously been stationed behind 
trees and logs, and reserved their fire until it 
could be most effective. 

At the end of two hours, the Loyalist party 
beat a retreat. The Indians, fearing to lose their 
prisoners, who had been tied to trees during the 
engagement, now killed all but two and took their 
scalps. When Willett's men came up, they buried 
the bodies and left them. One of those thus 
buried, a lad named Jacob Diefendorf, survived 
the scalping and, recovering consciousness, and 
finding the covering over him but slight, managed 



Rifle and Tomahawk 225 

to crawl out. He was afterward found and cared 
for, and lived to a ripe old age. 

The following endearing message explains itself. 

Proclamation by Sir John Johnson to the People on 
the Mohawk River. 

The Officers and Soldiers of Sir John Johnson's 
Regt. present their affectionate and loving wishes 
to their Friends and Relations on the Mohawk River 
and earnestly entreat them to assemble themselves 
and come into Canada or the upper Posts, where under 
that Gallant leader they may assist their Countrymen 
to quell and put an end to the present unnatural 
Rebellion in hopes soon to return to their native 
homes, there to enjoy the happiness they were for- 
merly blessed with under the best of Kings, who is 
willing to do everything for his subjects. 

May aand 1781 

Late in October of the same year, the loving Sir 
John descended with his troops upon Warrensbush 
near the junction of the Schoharie with the 
Mohawk. Learning of his approach, a scouting 
party left Johnstown under Captain John Little, 
and came upon the advance guard of the enemy 
near Tribes Hill. Finding the number large, they 
returned to Johnstown to give the alarm. 

The army of Sir John consisted of four compa- 
nies of the Royal Greens, Colonel Butler's Rangers, 
and two hundred Indians, one thousand men in all. 
From Warrensbush, Sir John pursued his usual 
work of destruction on the south side of the river. 



226 The Historic Mohawk 

Colonel Willett, stationed at Fort Rensselaer, some 
twenty miles west of Warrensbush, at once 
started for Fort Hunter on learning of the enemy's 
presence there, — Willett having in all, including his 
own garrison and such militia as he could collect, 
416 men. Before Willett's arrival, the enemy had 
decamped and was, even then, at Johnstown, 
burning, destroying, imprisoning, and killing. 

Major Rowley was now detached from Colonel 
Willett's force that he might, attack the British 
army in the rear, while Colonel Willett, with his 
small command, boldly advanced to meet the 
enemy. Both sides fought bravely for some time, 
when our militia, suddenly panic-stricken, turned 
and fled in confusion into the old stone church. 
The British soldiers, elated with the prospect 
of victory, scattered in pursuit of stragglers. At 
this propitious moment they were attacked in the 
rear by Major Rowley. Willett now succeeded 
in rallying his men. The battle was renewed 
and fought with bravery on both sides until 
dark, when the enemy, sorely pressed, beat a 
retreat. 

Some of the militia, under Colonel Willett, 
followed, coming up with the British troops at 
West Canada Creek. On crossing the creek, 
Walter Butler rallied his men, and a short, sharp 
conflict ensued between the two armies, standing 
on opposite sides. 

A rifle shot brought down Walter Butler ; and an 
Oneida Indian, casting aside his blanket and rifle, 



Rifle and Tomahawk 22'] 

swam the stream, tomahawk in hand, to scalp him, 
"Spare me, give me quarter!" cried Butler. 

^'Remember Sherry Valley!'' v/as the reply, 
and the tomahawk sank into the Tory's brain. 
Appealing to his chieftain, Colonel Louis, the 
Oneida asked permission, by signs, to scalp. 
Colonel Louis gave but an approving look, and 
the bloody deed was done. 

^ "So perished Walter N. Butler, one of the 
greatest scourges, as he was one of the most 
fearless men, of his native country." 

The Battle of Johnstown is known as the last 
battle of the Revolutionary War. It was fought 
on the 25th day of October, 1781, six days after 
the surrender of Comwallis, which was not yet 
known in that part of the State. 

Extract from Colonel Willett's letter: 

Fort Rensselaer, 2d November 1781. 

Tryon County Orders: 

Colonel Willett presents his thanks to Major Row- 
ley and the Officers and Soldiers under his command 
and for their Services since they have been upon the 
frontier and Especially to those few troops of this 
Corps who were with Major Rowley in the Action 
of the 25th Ultimo at Johnstown, whose Bravery 
Demands Particular Acknowledgments. 

The Companies of Captains Marsh, Clark and 
Hecocks are discharged, as the time for which they 
were engaged is Expired. 

The Officers Commanding those Companies will 

' Stone, Life of Joseph Brant, vol. ii., p. 193. 



228 The Historic Mohawk 

see that the men deliver their Ammunition to the 
Commissary of Ordnance at Fort Rensselaer. 

Particular thanks are given to the Militia of this 
County, for their Alertness in Turning out to Oppose 
the Enemy in their late Incursion upon these frontiers. 
Colonel Willett feels happy, whilst he is Compelled in 
the strongest terms to testify his Approbation of the 
behavior of those few brave men amongst them which 
Composed a part of the left wing that so Nobly 
fought and Repulsed the Enemy in the Action of the 
25th Ultimo at Johnstown, it gives him Particular 
Pleasure to Acknowledge his Obligations to those few 
Choice Souls who went out with him into the Wilder- 
ness, in pursuit of the Enemy. To the men of 
Colonel Bellinger's Regt. Commanded by Major 
Copeman, to the men of Colonel Visscher's Regt. 
Commanded by Lt. Col. Veder, and to those few 
Militia from Schenectady Commanded by Captain 
Fonda. 

The success that has Attended this march must be 
sufficient Compensation for their Great Toil and the 
Consequences very Beneficial to these frontiers. The 
Spirit that has been Exhibited upon this Occasion 
must Convince the Enemy that these are People not 
to be Trifled with, and will Undoubtedly damp that 
Dirty spirit of Enterprize that can have nothing but 
the Destruction of Individuals for its Object. 

The Particular attention, great Diligence and manly 
Deportment of Andrew Finck Esquire through the 
whole of this Affair (who performed the service of 
Brigade Major), merits everything that can be said in 
his praise. He is Requested to Accept of this Sincere 
Acknowledgment of his Services. 

The Patience and Fortitude that has Discovered 



Rifle and Tomahawk 229 

itself in the officers and Soldiers of the Levies through- 
out the whole of this fatigue does them great Honor. 
And the few Artillery men, under the Command of 
Capt. Moody with the Rest of his Officers who 
Voluntarily became Musqueteers that they might 
participate in these Toils, merits Particular Applause. 

The pale moon rises, looking down 

While the night mist shrouds the sleeping town, 
And always under the arching skies. 

Silent and peaceful our " battlefield " lies. 

No sound is heard, save the gentle breeze 

Whispering softly to the trees, 
Nothing to speak of the strife and woe 

On this " battlefield " in the " long ago." 



CHAPTER IX 

THE PIPE OF PEACE 

Buried was the bloody hatchet, 
Buried was the dreadful war-club, 
Buried were all war-like weapons 
And the war-cry was forgotten. 

Longfellow. 

TRYON County was desolate indeed. Homes 
were in nuns, crops were destroyed, hus- 
bands and fathers were slain. Brothers, sons, 
kinsmen, old neighbors and friends had deserted 
the cause and now found refuge in Canada. Their 
confiscated estates had been assigned to new 
owners. 

But war was at an end. Widows, orphans, 
and parents were left to mourn their dead, rebuild 
their ruined homesteads, and rebind the broken 
threads of life. The peaceful Oneida retiuned to 
his reservation, and the warlike Mohawk de- 
serted his native hills for the northern home of his 
forefathers, to found a new Caughnawaga upon 
the banks of the St. Lawrence. The new-born 
republic throve. With returning peace new 

230 




The Johnstown Battle Monument 
Erected by Johnstown Chapter, D. A. R., August 31, 1901 
Photograph by Eaton 



The Pipe of Peace 231 

usages came into being, modern to the people of 
the day, fascinatingly ancient to us of the present. 
Still bands of Indians and Tories prowled about 
the valley. Such a party burned a grist-mill at 
Little Falls in June, 1782, and, shortly after, 
appearing in large numbers, pursued several fami- 
lies to Fort Herkimer, shooting Augustinus Hess 
as he reached the gate and torturing and killing 
another prisoner, Valentine Staring, within hear- 
ing of the fort. About the same time three prison- 
ers were taken in the vicinity of Johnstown, and 
Nicholas Stoner was scalped, dying from his 
wounds. 

For several years vague rumors prevailed that 
ghosts haunted the old homesteads of the Loyalists. 
Ghosts of dead hopes indeed they were, for thus 
did the Tories, "the blue-eyed Indians," revisit 
the valley under the shadows of night and gather 
up their long hidden possessions. So bitter was 
the feeling of their patriotic kinsmen against them 
that not one dare openly return for many years. 
Such a ghost in vain haunted Guy Park, but a flesh 
and blood stranger at last materialized, stopping 
at the door and requesting permission to sleep in 
the haunted room. He disappeared before day- 
light. When the house was afterward remodelled, 
small secret drawers were found in the ceiling, 
from which, no doubt, on this occasion, valuables 
and papers were removed. The ghost never again 
appeared. 

We may now suppose the people at leisure to 



232 The Historic Mohawk 

review the bloody scenes through which they had 
been passing and to set forth their needs or con- 
sider such claims as the following: 

Dear sir: 

The great distance which Your duty calls us appart 
oblige me at this time to give you this trouble which 
Otherwise I would not. You may Remember Agree- 
able to your promise. I was to have an Order for 
Eight yards of Broad-Cloath, on the Commissary for 
Cloathing of this State — In lieu of my Blue Cloak, 
which was Used for Coulours at Fort Schuyler — An 
Opportunity Now presenting itself — I beg you to 
find me an Order, inclosed to M Jeremiah Renseler, 
pay Master, at Albany, or to Mr. Henry Van 
Vaughter, Albany, when I will receive it and you will 
oblige me, — who will Always Acknowledge the favor 
with true gratitude — 

Please to make my Comp'' to the Other Officers 
of the Regim't — 

I am Dear Sir 
Your 
Poughkeepsie ) 

29th Aug 1778 j" 

Abraham Swartout Capt 
Colonel Peter Gansuvorth. 

The physicians' bills for services proclaim their 
own story of suffering. Moses Yoiinglove, pro- 
bably after his return from captivity, issued the 
following : 

Rec'd Williger October 16, 1779, of Christopher 



The Pipe of Peace 233 

Fox Esq. 8 dollars in full for curing his arm of a wound 
received in Oriska fight. 

Moses Younglove. 

From a copy of Doctor Petrie's account pre- 
sented to the State of New York, 1781. 

The following persons are debtors to Wm. Petree, 
Surgeon, being wounded by the cruel and merciless 
savages and companies, enemies of America. 

1777 August the 6th Colonel Vols, Ranger of Capt. 
Bradley's Company; wounded with a Ball and two 
Book shott, under my attendance six weeks, dressed 
twice a day. 

£3 10 

1779 May loth, the wife of Jost Smith and the wife 
of Henry Widerstyn, scalped, under my attendance 
eleven months, dressed twice a day. 

£30 00 

July 9th, Jost Vols, wounded in the thigh, and 
arms with a ball, 3 book shott and a cut with a 
hatchet under my care six weeks dressed twice a day 

£4 10 

Catharine Domberger, scalped, and stapped with a 
spear on five sundry places, dressed twice a day 

£16 00 

1780 August 8th, John Dachstader and Conrad 
Vols, both wounded with Bok shot, under my care 30 
days. 

£3 00 

Sept. 1st Jacob Ittig, wounded, dressed twice a day 
40 days. £5 10 



234 The Historic Mohawk 

31 Christian Shell, wounded through his arm, 
dressed twice a day 24 days. 

£2 10 

October 29th Adam Hartman and John Demood, 
each with a ball, under my care 3 months, dressed 
twice a day 

£18 00 

1 78 1 Febr. 6th Peter Davis, fort surprised and 
three of his daughters wounded, one staped three 
time and a cut with a hatchet, under my care five 
weeks, dressed twice a day 

£10 10 

May 28th Nath Shoemaker, wounded with a ball 
through his breast, dressed twice a day for eight weeks. 

£4 10 

Abm. Wohleber, scalped, and two scalps taken at 
one time, under my care one year, dressed twice a day 

£20 GO 

Jun 24th — Frederick Shell wounded with a ball 
through his thigh, dressed twice a day, 2 months. 

4 00 

£121 10 

On April 17, 1783, orders from General Washing- 
ton reached Fort Plain that a messenger be sent 
from that point to Oswego to arrange for the 
cessation of hostilities. 

Captain Thompson, appointed by Major Finck, 
with four attendants and laden with messages for 
lost friends of the colonists believed to be in 



The Pipe of Peace 235 

Canada, started on his mission on the morning of 
April 1 8th. After a journey full of romantic in- 
terest and a courteous reception by the British 
officers, he returned in safety to Fort Plain. 

Washington himself visited the upper valley 
in the same year, having made a similar trip to 
Schenectady in 1782. Several pretty incidents 
of both these occasions have been recorded. 

"Smiling through their tears," the people of 
old Tryon cast off the name of the erstwhile 
governor (a strong Loyalist) and, in honor of Gen. 
Richard Montgomery, rechristened the county 
Montgomery on the 26. day of April, 1784. 

Still, for many years, the thunders of the de- 
parting storm might be heard re-echoing among 
the hills. The appended claims and petitions 
of the day record sundry losses incurred. 

£4 

Fort Plain 19th August 1781 
Received from Colonel Marenus Willett one Milk 
Cow it being in Lieu for that was killed for the use 
of the Troops of this Post. 

his 
Gossan X Van D. Workin 

mark 

Received Fort Plain 21st August 1781 of Timothy 
Hutton Lieut and Quarter Master protempory one 
mare and colt in Lieu of a Horse that was Lost in 
Public Service. 

Bastian France. 



236 The Historic Mohawk 

Received Fort Rensslaur 25th Sept 1781 from 
Colonel M. Willett a BrowTi horse in Lieu of a Horse 
of mine killed in the Action of the loth of July past 
which horse was Appraised by two parsons under 
Oath at Twenty Five Pounds New York Currency 

his 

Joseph X Mabee 

mark 

State of New York to LawTcnce Gros Dr 

1 781 To a Saddle lost in public Ser\4ce as Col. 

Oct 25 Willett's Certificate in a Battle \nth \ ^ 
the Enemy \ 

Peter Hansen presents long and minute ac- 
count of damages sustained by the enemy's 
raids, including hay, wheat, oats in quantity, 
Ri\x, hemp, "one green Bagg, " "3 feather Bedds, " 
"9 Coverlids, homemaid, " " i looking-glass, i 
Tea Kettle, I Iron Waggon, i Plow and harness, — 

1 Negro jMan, ^ of i negro, J of i wench." 

In other accounts we see such odd items as : 

Articles of 

Life Stock One Negro Man 

Two Negro Wenches 
One Negro Boy 
Five Horses. 

2 Cows and 4 Hogs Kilt. 

Abraham Ouackenbos claims the loss of 

one SutYeciant Dwelling House, made of Brick and 
an Antri to the Same with a Good Sufficient Cellar 
underaeath with a shingle roft" the House is 24 feet 




a ■^- 



The Old Church at Stone Arabia 

Photograph by Wesley H. Fox 



The Pipe of Peace 237 

Long and 22 feet Width and another House of 18 feet 
Long and 15 feet Wide 

and his Moveable efiEects and other necessaries of 
Life to tedious to mention 

also 5 sheep Burnt in his Brother's Barn 

one Barn of 45 Long and 40 wide All Boarded all 
round having straw roof with all other utansils 
belonging to a Barn such as Wind Mills and other 
things to tedious to mention. 

150 sheeple of Apples 

100 " " wheat 
burnt 60 Sheeple of Peas — and quantities of oats, hay 
and flax. 

John B. Wemple complains of the destruction 
of his 

Dwelling, "Bam, Barracks, My Part in a Brew- 
ery, One Black Smith's Shop with two sets of Tools. 

Articles of 1 Two Negro Men 
y Two Milk Cows 
Live Stock J Three Horses 
Cloathing, Household Fiu-niture and other Utensils. 

Henry Herter's loss consisted of large quantities 
of pease, wheat, oats, hay. 

One Dwelling House and Kitchen — Household 
Furniture, One Horse, Ten Head of Horn Cattle, 
Three Sheep, One Loom and Slay. 

The effects of Johannes E. Van Epps were burned 
by the enemy, namely: 



238 The Historic Mohawk 

Grist mill with contents, Tvro other Dwelling 
Houses, quantities of grain. One Barrack, One Cow 
Killed, About Six Loades of Hay. 

All of which are but exaniples taken at random, 
for no county suffered more severely than did old 
Try on. from the ravages of war. 

Jellos Fonda's Acct Of the Damages done by the 
Enemy in Trj'on County. 

at Caughnawaga May 226. 17S0 and in October 18 

One Dwelling House £700 

The Furniture in D &^c tSrc 200 

Grane and fanning Youstansels 160 

A Bani Potash Works and out Houses no 

Pot Ash Solts and Ashes 470 

The Half of a Brew House 60 

Tliree Negro Men of the best kind b8o 

Two Horses of the best 50 

Four Hogs and Three Cattle 19 
at the Nose Octo' iSth 1780 

My Dwelling House looo 

About Twelve Hundred Scip of Grane 240 

Two Bams and Tliree other out Houses 200 

Furniture and farming Youstansels 150 

A large Gress Mill the Flower therein 400 

Two Negroes and a Negro Wench 210 

Three Horses 30 

Eleaven head of Cattle Poltry «S:' 50 
About One Himdred and Ten Loads of Hay 1 10 

£4519 
Jelles Fonda. 



The Pipe of Peace 239 

An Account of Damages sustained by Jacob 
Diefifendorf Jun of the Enemy July 7th 1780 at Corry 
Town in the County of Tryon in the State of New 
York viz — 

one Dwelling House one Kitchen and 



one Barn 


£100- 


0-0 


Six Horses Collectively 


£100- 


0-0 


one Cow, one ox 


10- 


0-0 


Eight Sheep ((4 20 


£ 8- 


0-0 


Twenty five Gees @ 4 


£ 5- 


0-0 


Sixteen hides collectively 


8- 


12-0 


one Negroe Slave 


75- 


0-0 


household and furniture utensils 


&c. 




collectively 


24- 


8-0 



£331- 0-0 

Jacob Diefendorff, Jr. 

The loss sustained by Conraed Steen at War- 
rensborough, October 26, 1781, consisted of: 

I Beaver Hat 

I Pair of Linen Stockings 

I D of Worsted " 

I " " Linen 

" " Woolen " 

I " " Mens Shoes 

I Long Woman's Cloak 

r Callimanco Woman's Petticoat 

I Do Do Do 

I Cotton Handkerchief 

I Cambric Handkerchief 

I Callico Short Gound 

7 Ribons Various Sorts 



240 The Historic Mohawk 

Isaac Elwood came before me Hemy Walrath 
Esq' one of the Justices of the County of Montgomery 
of the State of New York, and made and Oath that he 
was examined by Abraham Ten Broeck and Peter 
Ganseforth Esq' appointed by the State for that Pur- 
pose, obtained a Certificate or had his Certificate 
examined and Contrasigned healding forth that he had 
served as Corporal in Captain Henry DiefendorflE's 
Company in the Regiment of Militia commanded by 
Colonel Cox that he was wounded in his right Shoulder 
at Ansa on the Sixth Day of August 1777 and that he 
now lived in the District of Canajohery and in the 
County of Montgomery State of New York May the 
19th Day 1789 Sworn be for me 

Henry \Yalrath, Justice. 

George Dunkill came before me John Jacob 
Diefendorf Esquire one of the Justices of the Peace 
for the County of Montgomery in the State of New 
York and made Oath that he was examined by 
Abraham Ten Broeck and Philip Schuyler Esquires ap- 
pointed by the said States for that purpose — obtained 
a Certificate setting forth that he had served as Pri- 
vate in the Regiment of Militia commanded by CoP 
Samuel Clyde and that he was disabled by a Wound 
Shot in the right eye in an action near Torlach in the 
said County on the loth of July 1781, and that he now 
lives in the said County, the District of Canajoharry 
Sworn before me the [ 
17 Day of May 1799 ) 

John Jacob Diefexdorff, Justice. 

his 

George X Dunkili, 

mark 



The Pipe of Peace 241 

Harkemers town December 15 1791 
I hereby Certify that Markes Petri has been Em- 
ployed With Waggons and horses by order of General 
Herkermer to transport provisions for the use of the 
army under his Command at the Battle of Orisko, the 
6th August 1777 and that his Horses and geer was 
taken by the Enemy in said Battle. 

Peter Bellinger, Col. 

Widow of Uriel Combs, Montgomery County. 

I do hereby certify that Uriel Combs late Sergeant 

in the Regiment of Militia in the said County (late the 

County of Tryon) under my Command was on the 

sixth day of August 1777 Killed in the field in an 

action with the Enemy at orisca, and that he left a 

a widow, who is still unmarried. I do also certify 

that Christiana Combs widow of the said Uriel Comb s 

is intitled to the provision made by the Law for the 

Relief of Widows and orphans of officers and Soldiers 

of the Line of this State and of the Militia of the 

same — 

Given under my Hand, 

Jacob Klock, Coll. 
Received 26th March 

1785. 

Thoroughly to understand how terrible and how 
lasting the effects of the war upon the denizens 
of the valley, let us take a peep a generation ahead 
and read the notice printed in the Political Atlas ^ 
published in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 

Schenectady, June 8, 1807. 
On Thursday, the 4th inst. about four miles from 
the city of Schenectady, aside of the Mohawk 
16 



242 The Historic Mohawk 

turnpike, sitting under a tree, I discovered Petrus 
Groot, who was supposed to have been slain in the 
Oriskany battle, under Gen. Herkimer, on the 6th 
of August, in the year 1777. I immediately recognized 
him, and on conversing with him, he confessed himself 
to be the person I took him to be. I then carried 
him to the nearest tavern where I left him to be sent 
to his children and brothers, from whence, however, he 
departed before day the next morning and was seen 
in Albany on Friday. His mental faculties are much 
impaired supposed to have been occasioned by a 
wound of a tomahawk near the fore part of his head, 
though he is, at most times, tolerably rational. His 
head is bald, the circle or scar of the scalping-knife 
is plainly to be seen on it as also a stab on the side of 
his neck, near the shoulder, and a small scar near the 
circle. ... He speaks English, French, Dutch and 
Indian, and says he has been last a prisoner among the 
Indians north of Quebec. Had on an old dark gray 
coat, old brownish pantaloons and has a large pack 
with him. He refused to go home, as one of his for- 
mer neighbors would not recognize him, he was fearful 
his children and brothers would not. He said he 
would go to the Governor's. Being at times deranged, 
it is feared he will stray away too far for his friends 
to find him. He is of a very respectable family and 
connections. 

The printers in this and neighboring States are 
requested to give this a few insertions in their papers, 
to aid in restoring a poor sufferer to his children and 
friends, who has been thirty years a prisoner among 
the Indians. He is now sixty-five years of age. He 
was a Lieutenant in the militia at the time he was 
supposed to have been slain. John Sanders 



The Pipe of Peace 243 

It is not strange that bitter feeling against the 
Loyalists long ran high and that on May 9, 1793, 
the people of Mohawk district 

Resolved unanimously that all those who have gone 
off to the enemy or have been banished by any law of 
this state or those who we shall find tarried as spies 
or tools of the enemy and encouraged or harbored 
those who went away shall not live in this district on 
any pretense whatever, and as for those who have 
washed their faces from Indian paint and their hands 
from the innocent blood of our dear ones, and have 
returned, either openly or covertly, we warn them to 
leave this district before the 20th of June next, or 
they must expect to feel the just resentment of an 
injiired and determined people. 

We likewise unanimously desire our brethren in 
the other districts in this county to join with us to 
consent to the repealing of any law made for the 
safety of the state against treason or confiscation of 
traitors' estates or to passing any new acts for the 
return or restitution of Tories. 

By order of the meeting, Josiah Throop, chairman. 

A treaty was held with the Six Nations on 
December 2, 1784, at Fort Stanwix. The two 
principal Indian speakers on this occasion were 
the chiefs, Cornplanter and Red Jacket. The 
former influenced his people for peace, but the 
latter threw the weight of his opinion against it. 
Matters were amicably terminated by a feast and 
a foot race. 

In 1785 the Tuscaroras and Oneidas ceded to 



244 The Historic Mohawk 

New York State all land lying between the 
Chenango and Unadilla rivers. The deed of the 
Oneida Reservation was given September 22^ 
1788. 

The people were now well established in the 
employments of agriculture and commerce. Trade 
had not been quite at a standstill even during the 
Revolutionary period, as witness the following, 
signed by familiar names. 

German Flatts, June 5th 1777. 

Rec'd of Jelles Fonda, the sum of ten pounds, 

nine shillings, in full for 8c 2 qr. 15 lb. fioiu, and riding 

the same two miles (at the carrying-place arotmd the 

falls) for public use. 

AuGUSTiNus Hess. 

German Flatts, 1777, June 5th 
Rec'd of Jelles Fonda, the sum of two pounds, 
twelve shillings, in full for twenty-six schepel 
potatoes. 

John Jost Harchymar. 

Thomas Cunningham was another early mer- 
chant of German Flats numbering among his 
customers such distinguished people as Henry 
Herkimer and Rev. Abraham Rosencrantz, the 
latter purchasing, in 1778, "skeins of silk, black 
lace, powder and shot, a half paper of pins, half 
pound of snuff, etc." 

In 1785 Abraham Van Epps built a log cabin 
at the mouth of Oriskany creek and opened trade 
with passers-by. He would also make trips to 



The Pipe of Peace 245 

the Oneida castle, staying three or four days 
with the Indians there and bartering from his 
ample pack of trinkets. This well-known pioneer 
merchant, bom 1763, was the son and namesake 
of Abraham Van Epps of Schenectady, once a 
prosperous fur trader of that place, but who had 
been plundered while on a trading trip to the 
northern lakes. 

Isaac Paris, the second son of the colonel of 
that name so barbarously tortured after the battle 
of Oriskany, removed in 1787 from Stone Arabia 
to his father's lands at Fort Plain, — the former 
property of Lieutenant-Governor George Clarke. 
This Isaac Paris was a young man much esteemed 
in his county, which he thrice represented as 
legislator. 

Upon the Indian . trail leading to the Susque- 
hanna, one-half mile west of the Indian castle 
Tah-ragh- jo-res on Prospect Hill, and three miles 
from the historic castle upon Otsongo Creek, Mr. 
Paris erected a home, and there carried on trade 
with the Indians. 

This historic wooden building is still standing 
and has received in its day many distinguished 
guests. The Indian chiefs, Complanter and 
Joseph Brant, Col. Marinus Willett and Baron 
Steuben are said to have been among them and 
it was doubtless visited by many other eminent 
people of the time. 

James Van Home, already a prosperous mer- 
chant at German Flats before the Revolutionary 



246 The Historic Mohawk 

War, was still stationed there at its close; and 
among the items sold were "ells of corduroy, ells 
of blue shalloon, one quarte Cyder, one pound 
hog's fat. snuff and one Nip of grog" (several 
times repeated). These accounts were not all 
paid in money. — sometimes it was in ginseng. 
One gentleman made up his deficit bv "placing 
thefittle." 

About 1790, the Kane brothers started store- 
keeping in the old Van Alst\Tie building at Cana- 
joharie. Their stone dwelling was kno\s-n as 
Round Top, from its arched roof. 

It is recorded that an Indian who once came to 
this store, after being well cut do^sTi in the prices 
of his furs, invested liberally in rum. He was 
then charged one dollar each for needles for his 
squaw, after he had been informed that the only 
man who could make such needles had passed 
from life. 

Of this Mr. Kane, an English traveller of the 
period, Mr. Maude, tells us: 

Mr. J. Kane took in the course of last fall and 
winter 3.400 bushels of wheat which were bought on 
an average of one dollar and 55" per bushel, — 51000 
dollars and sold at N. Y. for one dollar and ninety- 
three and f-' 65,875. Took in potash 2500 bushels 
worth on an average $25. per bushel, $62,500. 

Mr. Kane kindly insisted on my passing the evening 
and taking a bed at his house to which in\-itation I 
re^idily pelded. "^Tiile we were engaged in a bottle 
of claret, my servant was jocke>'ing for a horse, the 



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The Pipe of Peace 247 

bargain was soon made and I paid down the money 
he demanded, 65 dollars, 50 cents. 

James and Archibald Kane then ran this store, 
keeping "the best assortment of European and 
West India goods, tobefoundwest of Schenectady." 

A souvenir of a store kept in 1792 at German 
Flats is in existence. It reads: 

No. 12 — One Penny. The Bearer shall receive One 
Penny at my store at Fort Herkimer on demand — 
Value received. i6th January 1792. N. Aldridge. 

On the 20th of October, 1780, during one of Sir 
John Johnson's raids, two historic churches were 
burned, — the one at Fort Plain known as the 
Sand Hill Church, and the one at Stone Arabia. 
The latter was again erected in 1788. The follow- 
ing curious document relating to the pastor's 
compensation has been preserved. 

Know all men by these presents that we the sub- 
scribers am held and firmly bound unto the said 
Drusteis of the Luteran Church in Paletine for ever 
third Sontay to pay him twenty-five currency yearly 
from the First of September in the year of Our Lort 
1797, and to Find him the third of the Firewood 
and likewise the Fansing and twenty skippels of whead 
Yearly. 

The " Sand Hill" Church, formally known as the 
First Reformed Dutch Church of Canajoharie was 
rebuilt at the close of the war. From the time of 
its destruction until its rebuilding, Dominie Gros, 



248 The Historic Mohawk 

its pastor, preached ii: a bam. The new church 
was erected under contract with one Peter Marsh 
for one thousand pounds. It was a substantial 
wooden building, boasting an old-fashioned pulpit 
with a sounding-board and a short bench for the 
use of the pastor. The church had gallaies on 
three side5 and a steeple \s-ithout a bdl. Preach- 
ing was in German. 

The Old Fort Herkinier Churdi adopted, in 
1 796. the corporate name ** The Reformed Protest- 
ant Dutch Church of German Ratts." The Rev. 
A. Rosencrantz here preached from 1767 till 1704. 
His death occurred in 1796. He was followed 
to his grave by one hxindred and twenty double 
sleighs. The interment was made within the walls 
of his church, near the pxilpit . Some mementoes of 
his administration may be found in the following: 

Received of Dederich Fox and John Frank Esqs * 
Trustees of the Reformed Proresiant Dutch Church 
of the German Flatts District in the County of 
Montgomer\- the Sum of Two Pound Two Shillings 
and Sixpence For Feed of Justice and Jurors attending 
a court held at the house of Capt Jacob De\-endorph, 
Sept 29th 17^ I say by me 

Jacob Diefentwrf. 

(Re\-eTse side.) 

Jacob Deffendokfh 

Recdpt to 

Frederick Fox and 

Jolin FroTik. 
£2: a: 6 

Sept «9 1784 



The Pipe of Peace :?49 

In 1747 tlie consistory of the cliurch audited the 
following account of the expenses of Jolin Frank 
and Rudolph Steele who had been appointed 
a conniiittee to transact business at Albany. 

1797 

Feb'y 7 To liquors at diftercnt places £0- 4-0 

8 Paid John Fonday for 3 sup, 3 qviarts 

cider. 3 lodgings and ^ gill i:^n £0-10-6 

9 Paid Johnson, Schenectady, i grog, 
I lodging, I supper, i glass bitters 

and stage to Albany -7-6 

-8-0 



£0-15-6 

To and in Albany 2 dinners and i glass 

pmich 0-9-0 

To casli paid Barber the printer 3-3-0 

To cash piiid Myers for getting the 

paper from New York 0-8-0 

From loth to i6th included to sundries 

in liquors 0-8-0 

To 7i days boarding and liquors at 

Craine's in Albany as per receipt 5-1 i-o 

To bread and clieese for me on tlie way 

home 9 

Liquors to Schenectady 0-4-6 

At Alsober's Schenectady for liquors and 

lodgings 0-3-0 

To expenses in liquors from Schenectady 

to home 0-7-0 

J 

The Palatine Stone Church, the Fort Herkimer 
Churcli, the St. Jolmsville Church, the Caugh- 



250 The Historic Mohawk 

nawaga Church and the Old Dutch Church at 
Schenectady had all, for one reason or another, 
survived the devastation of the Revolutionary 
War. 

At Schenectady handsome and costly brass 
chandeliers {Groote Kroon and Klcyndere Kroon), 
the gifts of pious parishioners, Nicholas Van der 
Volgen and wife contributed to the furnishing of 
the edifice, while in 1794 

The consistory take into consideration the defective 
condition of the Dutch Psalmody in the public 
worship of this church ; 

Resolved, that Cornelis De Graaf, the chorister, 
shall use his endeavors in each family of this village 
and elsewhere, to obtain pupils in singing on condition 
that each shall pay one shilling and six pence a month 
the Consistory also adding thereto for each scholar 
for the term of six months, one shilling and six pence a 
month ; provided a certificate be shown to the consis- 
tory signed by Mr, De Graaf that each scholar has 
diligently spent his time as he ought. 

Also Mr. De Graaf in singing shall try to observe 
the measure of the half notes and soften his voice as 
much as possible. 

It is said that the above-named gentleman's 
voice could be distinctly heard for a distance of 
two miles up the river. 

On March 7, 1788, Montgomery County was 
officially declared to be bounded on the east by 
the counties of Ulster, Albany, Washington, and 




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The Pipe of Peace 



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Clinton; on the south by the State of Pennsyl- 
vania, and on the west and north by the boundaries 
of the State of New York. At the same time, the 
town of Whitestown was formed from the town of 
Herkimer. Montgomery County now contained 
the towns of Whitestown, German Flats, Cana- 
joharie, Otsego, Harpersfield, Mohawk, Herkimer, 
Palatine, Caughnawaga. On February i6, 1791. 
Herkimer County was formed from Montgomery. 



CHAPTER X 

NEW ENGLAND PIONEERS 

Right-handed men, whichever hand you shook, 
Square-stepping men, whichever way they took, 
Stout-hearted men, whatever might betide, 
For duty ready till the day they died. 

Benjamin F. Taylor. 

ANEW element was now entering into Mohawk 
Valley life. The enterprising New Eng- 
lander, fighting side by side with his Dutch and 
German brothers in the battles of the infant 
republic, had not failed to cast a shrewd eye upon 
the teeming beauties of our lovely vale. From a 
somewhat bleaker climate he emigrated to the 
"Great West" of Oneida County. The mam- 
moth wagons in which these incoming settlers 
moved their families and furniture aroused no 
little interest and created no little amusement in 
the valleys of the Hudson and the Mohawk. 
Along the old Indian trail they came, — trails 
which were afterward improved and promoted 
into turnpikes and roads. By boat, too, they 
journeyed, by way of Schenectady, their cattle 

252 




To Commemorate the Founding of Whitestown 
Photograph by A. E. Aldridge 



New England Pioneers 253 

driven beside them along the shore. Beyond and 
among the early pale faces they settled with true 
pluck and amazing energy. Land was then to be 
purchased at; from ten cents to one dollar an 
acre. 

It is true that as early as 1760 there were settled 
at Fort Stanwix several families of German descent 
named Roof, Brodock, Kline, Steers, De Grow, 
and Reggins — the remains of whose little clearing 
might still be seen in 1877, in ditches, gardens, etc. 
Two of the men, Messrs. Roof and Brodock, were 
engaged in the Indian trade and in assisting trad- 
ers at the carrying place, and Mr. Roof kept an 
inn. All these families were driven out by the 
thunderclaps of the approaching storm of war that 
burst over Fort Stanwix at the time of the Battle of 
Oriskany. 

In 1773, too, Germans from the Mohawk River, 
— George J. Weaver, Capt. Mark Damoth, and 
Christian Reall, — started a little log-house settle- 
ment in the present town of Deerfield. Being 
patriots, they were marks for the Tories and Mo- 
hawk Indians dining the bloody days so soon to 
follow. In the summer of 1776, a friendly Indian 
named Blue-back was met by a party of such 
marauders, inquiring the way to the clearing. 
Stealing away, he gave warning to his friends, who 
managed to make their escape, the women and 
children in a wagon, the men on foot, to a little 
fort called "Little Stone Arabia" in the present 
town of Schuyler. Some of their furniture they 



254 The Historic Mohawk 

managed to conceal in the forest, but the little 
settlement soon went up in smoke. 

It is Hugh White, however, to whom the honor 
belongs of having established the first permanent 
white settlement in Oneida County. This gentle- 
man, together with three others — Zephaniah 
Piatt, Ezra L'Hommedieu, and Melancthon Smith 
— immediately after the Revolution came into 
possession of Sadaquada Patent. In June, 1784, 
Mr. White ascended the Mohawk River and 
erected a temporary shelter at the mouth of the 
Sadaquada Creek until a division of the lands was 
made. He then built a log house on the present 
Whitestown village green. Here he remained 
during the winter with his ioxxr grown sons, a 
daughter and a daughter-in-law, effecting a 
clearing, and, in the spring, returned to Connecti- 
cut for his wife and other members of the family. 
At about this time a New England neighbor with 
a speculative eye to the possibilities of Oneida 
County asked whether rye might be raised there, 
"I don't know," answered Mr. White, "wheat is 
good enough for me." 

The family had been established in their new 
home barely four months when they were honored 
with the presence of an unexpected and dis- 
tinguished guest. General Lafayette, who was on 
his way to Fort Stanwix to be present at the 
treaty between the American government and 
the Six Nations. It would require no great stretch 
of imagination to picture the consternation of the 



New England Pioneers 255 

good hostess. No butcher, no baker at hand, 
no time to shoot game or catch fish, but she was 
equal to the occasion. No better Johnny-cake 
than hers could be baked the country round, and 
no one knew how to fry the pork to a finer golden 
brown. Forty years after, when as the guest of 
the nation Lafayette visited Whitestown, he 
inquired whether the maker of the Johnny-cake 
was still living. The meal had been a success. 

The first year or two of the family's stay they 
were glad to salt down a barrel or two of pigeons' 
breasts to eke out their supply of animal food. 

The nearest mill was then at Palatine. 

Five miles to meeting, forty miles to mill, 

They backed the grist and travelled with a will, 

By bridle-path and trail and bark canoe, 

Dim as the twilight, noiseless as the dew. 

Then back they came, the bright day turning brown 

And met the swarthy Mohawk coming down. 

Nevertheless, many of the settlers did their own 
milling, pounding the corn in a mortar made, 
after the Indian style, of a section of log hollowed 
by use of a fire of coals placed on the top and kept 
alive with a bellows. 

The friendly Oneida Indians once offered to 
borrow Mr. White's granddaughter for an all-night 
visit, to the overwhelming fear of her mother, 
who could scarcely be prevailed upon to let her go. 
The grandfather's wiser counsels won, and the 
next morning, late, the little girl, showered with 



256 The Historic Mohawk 

attentions, bedecked in Indian garb and bound 
in a frame like a papoose, was returned to her 
anxious relatives. This was the beginning of a 
strong friendship between the WTiites and their 
Indian neighbors. 

For years afterward, there was still occasionally 
to be seen an Indian family on its way to the 
fishing grounds, the brave erect, stalwart, and dig- 
nified; his squaw bearing the burdens, and all 
walking in single file. At dark, the same family 
returned, drunken and unhappy, straggling wTetch- 
edly back through the woods to their home. 

The early settlers of "\^llitesto■\^Tl had a little 
song, which must have been ver^^ attractive to 
contemplating buyers from New England. 

White STOWN Rove 

Come all ye laboring hands 

That toil below 
Among the rocks and sands 

To plough and sow. 
Come and quit your hired lands 

Let out by cruel hands 
You '11 make large amends — 

If you '11 to "WTiitestown go. 

There 's many a pleasant plain 

Lies on that vale, 
Where you can settle down, 

You need not fail — 
You '11 make a large estate, 

So don't come too late. 



I 



New England Pioneers 257 

The pigeon, goose and duck 

To fill our beds; 
The beaver, coon and fox 

To crown our heads. 
Oh! the harmless moose and deer 

Make food and clothes to wear; 
Nature could do no more for any land. 

There stand the lofty pines — 

They make a show! 
As straight as any lines 

Their bodies grow, 
And their lofty limbs do rear 

Up to the atmosphere 
Where winged tribes repair; 

(And most sweetly sing). 

Our cows they give us milk, 

By nature fed; 
Our fields afford us wheat 

And corn for bread. 
Oh! the sugar trees do stand,] 

And sweeten all the land 
We have them at our hand — 

(So do not fear). 

When Mr. White made his journey up the Mo- 
hawk River in 1784, by bateau, he had with him 
four sons, one daughter, and a daughter-in-law. 
As the boat proceeded slowly up the noble stream, 
one of his sons, with two yoke of oxen, kept 
pace with him on land. At a vacant spot near the 
present Mohawk village, they stopped to plant 
corn, returning in the fall to harvest it. 
17 



258 The Historic Mohawk 

While at this point they were undoubtedly 
passed by James Deane, Andrew Blanchard, and 
Jedediah Phelps, on their way to found a settle- 
ment on Wood Creek. Finding the spot then 
selected an imdesirable one and subject to inimda- 
tion it was given up. This land had been granted 
to IMr. Deane by the Oneida Indians, subject to 
confirmation by the State, but they now agreed to 
the selection of another locaUty, which was made 
in 1785. 

In 1786 a patent in the present to\sTi of West- 
moreland was granted to James Deane, who, 
with his brother and family, had already located 
upon the land therein described, in the preceding 
February. In the fall Mr. Deane returned to 
Connecticut and was married, bringing his bride 
back with him on horseback. 

Mr. James Deane was a well educated man 
who had been fitted to become a missionary among 
the Indians, and early been sent to live with a 
branch of the Oneida tribe then living at Oquago 
on the Susquehanna. An Oneida woman, taking 
a liking to the lad, adopted him as her son. 

During the Revolution, Mr. Deane was sta- 
tioned at Oneida Castle and Fort Stanwix, where 
he did good service as Indian interpreter. As 
before stated, he finally located in Oneida County. 
On one occasion a party of Oneidas, on their 
return from a fishing trip to Cohoes, had partaken 
too freely of firewater and invaded the rights of 
the village blacksmith somewhere on the banks 



New England Pioneers 259 

of the Mohawk. In attempting to eject his 
unwelcome guests, the unwilling host used the 
hammer too freely, unintentionally killing one 
of them. The body was taken home, a council 
was held. According to ancient law, the first 
person of a tribe with whom they were at peace 
who might pass through their domains, after such 
a murder by a member of his tribe, must suffer 
death. Judge Deane belonged to the white man's 
tribe; it so happened Judge Deane was the first 
man who passed over their grounds after the 
council. 

The judge had been informed of what awaited 
him, but he stood his ground. One night, when 
the terrible war-whoop sounded near his home, he 
met the Indian messenger of death and pleaded 
eloquently for his life. It was of no avail. The 
tomahawk was uplifted to strike, when two In- 
dian women rushed in and added their pleadings to 
his. At length, baring their bosoms, they stood 
between him and the avenger, declaring that his 
blood should not run alone. It was Mr. Deane's 
adopted mother, who, with a friend, had come to 
his rescue, and her intercessions at last prevailed. 

In the summer of 1784, the same year that 
Judge White had located at his new home, the 
sturdy Germans who had been routed from that 
clearing in 1 776 were again on the groimd, planting 
and reaping, and were soon joined by some of their 
German neighbors. Settlements along the upper 
Mohawk multiplied rapidly. 



26o The Historic Mohawk 

Floorless, doorless, windowless huts framed with 
poles, thatched with bark — such were the earliest 
habitations of the thrifty New Englanders — or, 
possibly, blankets served for side-walls, strips of 
rawhide for rough doors, and squares of oiled 
paper for window-panes. To build a log cabin 
was a step in advance. 

In the cattle enclosures, fires were often built 
at night to keep off the bears and wolves. Bear 
stories are plentiful concerning the early settlers 
of the present Oneida County. 

Think of Oneida's maid, ye graceful girls to-day, 
Who cleared the door yard of a bear at bay. 
And swept him out with just an oaken broom! 
Salute, ye heroes, give the maiden room! 

The flesh of the bear, by the way, was some- 
times quite an addition to the supply of meat. 
Unfortunately Bruin himself was a great ma- 
rauder, stealing many a young porker and many 
an ear of tender corn. Much hardship had to be 
suffered that the farmer's work need not be 
interrupted while he was engaged in planting and 
harvesting. Sometimes the eyes of potatoes 
were reserved for planting, and sometimes the 
golden coffee was forsworn and the careful families 
were content with roasted pease. 

In 1787 a little settlement had been begun at 
the present village of Clinton. The first woman 
to arrive was a Mrs. Solomon Hovey. To provide 
an extra luxury for this lady, her husband cut down 



New England Pioneers 261 

a huge, hollow basswood tree, selected a large 
section, sawed off one side, and set it on end 
beside their dwelling-place. There, provided with 
several ample shelves, it proved a very convenient 
cupboard. 

Settlers at this point came in so rapidly that it 
was not possible at once to clear sufficient land 
and plant suitable crops. Want resulted, and in 
1789, the people, distressed for food, appealed^ 
for aid to the storekeeper, Isaac Paris, of the 
village of Fort Plain. , Their appeal was not in 
vain. 

This was his reply : 

No matter about the pay. Your women and chil- 
dren must not be permitted to starve. Take what you 
need to feed them, and if, at any time in the future, 
you are able to pay for it, it will be well, but your 
families must not be allowed to starve. 

Up the Mohawk promptly came a flat-bottomed 
boat laden with flour and meal. It was but a loan 
that was needed. For months the women and 
children scoured the woods for ginseng — a root 
of much commercial value at the time. In such 
coin was the benefactor repaid. When, in 1792, 
a new town was formed from Whitestown, in- 
cluding Clinton village, it was given the name of 
Paris. 

In the year 1880 the remains of the generous 
Paris, with the consent of his descendants, were 
removed from the crumbling ancient burial ground 



262 The Historic Mohawk 

at Fort Plain and reinterred, with appropriate cere- 
monies, in the town of Paris. There, in the 
custody of the county of Oneida, they lie at 
rest. 

The first settlement at Fort Stanwix was made 
in 1785 by Willett Ranney, with his eleven 
children. 

At the home of Seth Ranney, one of these 
children, very many loaves of bread were baked 
at the time of the treaty there, in 1788. The 
large oven was kept running day and night, con- 
suming many barrels of flour. A quantity of 
liquor which had been stored in the bam was 
thrown away, lest the Indians might find it and 
become violently intoxicated. 

The Welsh people formed quite a large and very 
interesting contingent in the early settlement of 
what is now Oneida County — some coming thither 
from an earlier established community in Penn- 
sylvania and some directly from the Old World. 1 

In March, 1795, twelve Welsh families started 
from their home in Wales to form such a settle- ' 
ment. Taking sloop from New York to Albany, 
by land thence to Schenectady, they proceeded 
by bateau to Utica, then known as Old Fort 
Schuyler, a hamlet of a dozen log cabins and one 
frame house. Thence, at the rate of five or six 
miles a day, they proceeded, with oxen and one 
horse to lead, resting one night under a large tree 
from a pouring rain. Marked trees on the road 
to the nearest grist-mill, twenty miles away, at 



New England Pioneers 263 

Whitestown, were most imperfect guides, but 
the trusty horse led them safely to Steuben. 

On reaching their destination they sought the 
shelter of friendly elms under which to build the 
first rude homes. Their primitive furniture was 
then constructed — sofas of split logs, flat side up, 
with pegs for legs, bedsteads of four posts with 
sticks laid across, the table often the trunk of a 
large sawed-off tree. 

Gerrit Boon, a native of Holland and an agent 
of the Holland Land Company, arrived at the site 
of Trenton village in 1793, giving it the name 
of Oldenbarneveld, in honor of that patriotic 
Hollander. Col. Adam G. Mappa and Doctor 
Vander Kamp, whose names betray their national- 
ity, soon located there also, and the New England 
pioneers were not slow to follow. The new- 
comers and their household goods were generally 
drawn in by oxen. As soon as they arrived, the 
neighbors would turn out and very shortly a new 
house would be up, with the family in possession. 
Trading was done in Utica. During the winter, 
poor roads made travelling difficult, but a flounder- 
ing carrier on horseback would occasionally bring 
in the mails. There were times in Oldenbarneveld 
when saucers of lard with strips of linen for wicks 
were forced into duty in lieu of candles. 

In 1798, there were six log houses and one frame 
house in what is now the city of Rome. 

The first merchant of Utica is said to have been 
Peter Smith, a native of Rockland County, who 



264 The Historic Mohawk 

established a store at Fall Hill, Herkimer County, 
and shortly after removed to " Old Fort Schuyler. " 
Of about the same date was one John Cunning- 
ham, who adopted Indian dress and often spent 
months among the natives. He sold out to John 
Post previous to 1 793. 

Mr. Post, who was of Dutch extraction, came 
to Utica in 1790 from Schenectady, bringing his 
family and household goods with him in a bateau. 
His dwelling served as a store for the first year, 
at the close of which he erected a building adjoin- 
ing it for the purpose of trade. He dealt 
largely with the Indians, exporting to China 
large quantities of the valuable ginseng root. 
Traders who stopped at Utica in 1793 foimd Mr. 
Post in control of all the pork that was to be 
obtained, while a Mr. Kip possessed all the salt. 
As Mr. Post asked, in their opinion, too much for 
his pork, they purchased all of Mr. Kip's salt, 
upon which they were better able to drive a 
bargain with Mr. Post. 

Mr. Post afterward established a warehouse on 
the riverside and carried on a large trade with 
Schenectady, quantities of goods being trans- 
ported between the two points by means of boats. 
The firm was known to advertise cotton yam 
by the pound and candles by the ton. 

At this period boats were loaded with furs from 
the great four-horse wagons at the foot of Genesee 
Street, discharging their cargoes to the same wag- 
ons, which were to carry them to the " Great West. " 



New England Pioneers 265 

In the Western Sentinel, September 27, 1795, 
Richard Smith ofEered for sale : 

lime juice, Muscovado and East India sugar, molasses, 
soap, tobacco, Spanish and American segars, ciphalique 
and rape, snuff, hairpowder and pomatum, curling 
irons, combs, etc., etc. 

And, at about the same time, Boardman & 
Dewey quaintly advertise 

Cloths, Cassimeres, Yorkshire Plaids, Thicksets, 
Shalloons, Durants, Plain Black Calmanco, Striped 
Do. Black Russell, Taboretts, Bandanna Hdkfs, 
Black Mode, Wildbore, Rattinetts, Mens and Womens 
Buckles. 

Brass Nubs, Razors, Iron Dogs, Franklin Stoves, 
Hard Soap, Drawn Boot Legs, W. I. Riun, Rubstones, 
Bibles, Spelling Books. 

Will receive in payment Wheat, Rye or Barley and 
[naively add] Money will not be refused. 

William G. Tracy was one of Utica's earliest 
merchants. He kept an excellent store. Calico 
was then sold at six shillings and sixpence a yard, 
although, on one occasion, Mr. Tracy deducted 
the sixpence and sold a second piece of goods for 
six shillings per yard on account of the first having 
been burned at the house of the dressmaker. 

Bryan Johnson arrived at Utica July 4, 1793, 
and began to buy produce, money down, some- 
thing not done by preceding merchants. He also 
sold good goods at unusually low prices. These 



266 The Historic Mohawk 

proceedings diverted trade from the Kane Brothers 
at Canajoharie, and they presently removed to 
Utica and, under the firm name of Kane & Van 
Rensselaer, set up competition with Mr. Johnson. 
Trade at Utica thus received a strong impetus. 
j "Rock Salts on Sale at Kane & Van Rens- 
selaer's" were advertised in Cato's Patrol as late 
as 1801. 

The first town meeting in the town of Whites- 
town was held Tuesday, the 7th day of April, 
1789, "agreeable to warning," and "it being more 
convenient" it then adjourned to the bam of 
Hugh White, Esq. One of the important meas- 
ures passed at this meeting was to the effect 
that swine be allowed to run at large, if "yoaked 
and ringed." Whitestown was still a part of 
Montgomery County. 

The reader will, perhaps, be interested to know 
the particulars concerning an early election which 
was held, by the way, in Capt. Needham May- 
nard's barn, April 6, 1790, this being Whites- 
town's second town meeting. 

Montgomery County, 55. — This certifies that the 
freeholders and other inhabitants of Whitestown, 
being met in said town for the purpose of choosing 
Town Officers on Tuesday, the 6th day of April, 1790, 
did on said day collect fifty votes for Maj. William 
Colbraith, and thirty-four votes for Col. Jedediah 
Sanger, for Supervisor, and William Colbraith was 
declared to be Supervisor. Then proceeded to the 
election of other officers, but many people being 



New England Pioneers 267 

deprived of the privilege of voting for Supervisor etc, 
moved to have the proceedings of the day made null 
and void, which passed in the affirmative. The meet- 
ing being then adjourned to Wednesday, the 7th inst, 
at 10 o'clock in the morning, at this place. Wednes- 
day, 10 o'clock in the morning, met according to 
adjournment, and the poll list being opened and kept 
open till about five o'clock in the afternoon, at which 
time the poll list was closed, and upon canvassing 
the same, found that Jedediah Sanger was tmanimously 
elected Supervisor, with the number of 119 votes, 
which choice was publicly declared in said meeting, 
and that he hath produced a certificate from Hugh 
White, Esq., that he has taken the oath of office. 

Attest for Elijah Blodget, Town Clerk. 

Attest for Ashbel Beach, Town Clerk. 

In 1 79 1, Herkimer County was set off from 
Montgomery. Whitestown now being a part of 
Herkimer County, it was provided by law that 
court should be held alternately at Herkimer and 
Whitestown. New Hartford, being in Whitestown, 
once, and once only, obtained the privilege of hold- 
ing court. This was held in the new "Meeting 
House" on the third Tuesday in January, 1794. 

It was a cold day and the learned judges and 
counsellors felt the chill. The lawyers contrived 
to obtain a little brown decanter full of spirits 
and helped themselves sparingly. Upon this fact 
becoming patent to the judges there was some 
little commotion on the bench. A short consulta- 
tion was held, and then it was declared unnecessary 



268 The Historic Mohawk 

to hold court longer at risk of freezing, and the 
crier was requested to announce adjournment. 
Thereupon one of the lawyers hastily snatched up 
the jug and extending it exclaimed, "Oh no, 
Judge, don't adjourn yet; take a little gin; that 
will keep you warm." The court remained in 
session. 

The sherifl of those days wore a cocked hat and 
sable robes, and judges, jurors, and counsel marched 
to the court-house in procession. Pillory, stocks, 
and whipping-posts stood in the old court-yard 
at Whitestown, whipping posts being abolished 
March 26, 1796. 

Sangerfield School Bill: 

A return of schooling kept in Sangerfield, in the 
county of Herkimer, which began the 28th of Decem- 
ber, 1795, and continued till March the 19th a.d. 1796. 
Wages 6 dollars and two-thirds per month. 

Daniel A. Brainard, Instructor. 

The "First Religious Society in Whitestown" 
was formed August 2^, 1791, at New Hartford, 
that beautiful village then being without a name. 
It was organized by the Rev. Dr. Jonathan 
Edwards at the same time as were the two con- 
gregations of Paris and Clinton. 

Colonel Sanger, New Hartford's first settler, 
gave, June 22, 1792, a lease of the land for the site 
of the church, the description of the land con- 
veyance beginning at "a point four rods west of 
Col. Sanger's bam." The land was let "for all 



New England Pioneers 269 

time at a yearly rent of 'one wheat com.' " 
The first pastor was Rev. Daniel Bradley, or- 
dained February, 1792. 

The second pastor, Rev. Joshua Johnson, was 
ordained and installed October 26, 1795. At the 
time of this gentleman's examination preparatory 
to ordination, the council reported that he had 
not been found sufficiently orthodox to be or- 
dained. He was imable to assent to the doctrine 

that before saving grace could be applied to the 
conversion of the soul, it must feel an entire will- 
ingness to be damned. 

A new council was then called, of somewhat 
more tolerant views, and Mr. Johnson was duly 
ordained and installed. This society erected, in 
1793, the first church building in Oneida County, 
and a steeple was added in 1796. Both church 
and steeple are still standing. 

The Paris Hill Church, at the time of its organi- 
zation, numbered five members. At the installa- 
tion of the first pastor. Rev. Eliphalet Steele, A.M., 
July 15, 1795, it had nineteen communicants. 

Unfold the wardrobe in the cedar chest. 
The weary work is done. The Sabbath rest 
Begins to-night and lasts all day to-morrow, 
Grant perfect peace without a dream of sorrow. 

But the present county of Oneida was not the 
only one along the river to come into possession 
of Connecticut pioneers. 



270 The Historic Mohawk 

Abraham Jacobse Lansing, of old Stone Arabia, 
had a part of his property laid out in building 
lots in 1 77 1. These lots sold rapidly, after the 
Revolution, to intending settlers from New Eng- 
land. Thus began the present Lansingburg, 
which, in turn, became known as "New City" in 
contradistinction to Albany, the "Old City." 

One parcel of land of 1363/2 acres leased, 
December 16, 1794, for fifteen bushels of wheat, 
four hens, and one day's services; another April 
15, 1793, for rent yearly of twenty-seven bushels 
of wheat, four fat fowls, and a day's service with 
carriage and horses; still another, three bushels 
and three pecks of wheat, four fat fowls, one day's 
service with carriage and horses. 

Settlers here had but to cast their eyes across 
the Hudson River to spy out the three handsqme 
farms of the Vander Heydens. Capt. Stephen 
Ashley early rented the homestead of Mattys 
Vander Heyden and opened a tavern known as the 
"Farmer's Inn." 

An enterprising New Englander of this period 
(Mr. Benjamin Covell) set up a store in 1786 
in a hired building, remarking naively in a letter 
to his brother, November 16, 1786: 

This country is the best for business I ever saw. I 
will go into my store the iSth November — hired it for 
six months for £12 lawful money. Done more busi- 
ness in one day than in one week in Providence. The 
night of the 15th, after sun-down, took in 20 dollars. 
Got my goods first from Albany, but in the spring 



New England Pioneers 271 

will go to New York. I am one mile from Benj. 
Thurber's down the river. They are all well. I 
board at Stephen Ashleys, the man I hire of. He 
seems to be a clever man and keeps a large tavern 
which is a great advantage to me. 

Somewhat less than a year afterward, he bought 
a store. A later letter to his brother reads: 

I send by Captain Benj. Allen twelve pounds and 
ten ounces of beaver and sixteen raccoon skins for 
which I want you to send me some writing paper. 
Send me as many sheepskins as you are a mind to. 
Two of them will make a man a pair of breeches. I 
want spelling-books and paper. I will advertise in 
the New City paper. Don't sell your paper to any- 
body that belongs in New City. 

In 1786, Benjamin Thurber, of Rhode Island, 
leased from Jacob I. Vander Hey den some land 
"on the west side of River Street" and built a 
wooden dwelling-house, in which he also kept 
store. 

In the Northern Sentinel and Lansinghurgh 
Advertiser, June 4, 1787, we find that: 

Benj Thurber Hereby acquaints the Public that he 
continues to sort his New Cash Store at the Sign 
of the Bunch of Grapes, at the Fork of the Hoosack 
Road, near Mr. Jacob Vander Heyden's, with East, 
West India and European goods of all kinds. For 
which he will receive in lieu of Cash Black Salts, Ship- 
ping Furs, Wheat, Com, Rye, Butter, Cheese, Flax 



2']2 The Historic Mohawk 

and Flax Seed, Tallow, Hogs' Lard, Gammons, Pork, 
Bees' Wax and old Pewter. He also continues to 
receive ashes, as usual, to supply his new-erected 
Pot and Pearl Ash factory, and will pearl black salts 
in the best manner on equitable Terms, and also will 
give the highest Price for black salts, 

N.B. A number of New French Muskets for sale 
at the above Store. 

Jacob Dirckse Vander Heyden was finally 
persuaded to lay out sixty-five acres of his farm 
in building lots which are now covered by closely 
gathered houses and places of trade. Vander- 
heyden became Troy by vote of its citizens 
January 5, 1789. Jacob D. Vander Heyden re- 
venged himself thereafter by writing it Vander- 
heyden, alias Troy. 

Troy was prosperous, for the reason, perhaps, 
that the inhabitants began public worship as soon 
as one man arrived who coiild make a prayer. 
The services began in Ashley's ballroom and 
continued in the schoolhouse. The conch-shell, 
more steadily blown than ordinarily, as the signal 
for public worship, was otherwise used for the 
ferry-boat traffic. 

The citizens of Troy organized a Presbyterian 
congregation in 1791. The collections being 
scanty, owing to lack of small coin, the trustees 
of the congregation of Troy began issuing to 
members, in 1792, notes of the value of twopence. 
A house of worship was begun in 1792, but not 
completed for a long time, after which it boasted a 



New England Pioneers 273 

high pulpit with winding stairs, a clerk, box-pews, 
and foot-stoves. 

On August 30, 1793, the United Presbyterian 
Congregation of Troy and Lansingburg extended 
a call to the Rev. Jonas Coe. The respected pas- 
tor, in wintry weather, often preached in cloak and 
gloves. 

Gone is the preacher with the braided queue, 
The velvet small-clothes and the buckled shoe, 
The broad-flapped coat, the continental hat. 
The broad bandanna and the broad cravat. 

x8 



CHAPTER XI 

TURNPIKE AND TAVERN 

IT was about the year 1788 that a strong impulse 
for colonization set in among New Englanders, 
their objective point being the western valley of 
the Mohawk, and, later, the valley of the Genesee. 
Mounted on sturdy steeds and well supplied with 
saddle-bags and portmanteaux they came spying 
out the fair land which they were to enter. Forty 
or fifty tourists at one time were frequently quar- 
tered at Little Falls. Already some of the Indian 
trails had given place to wagon roads. About 
1790, thoroughfares began to be more generally 
laid out, their precise trend usually determined 
in the village records by such landmarks as birch 
trees and hemlocks, fences, creeks, and pasture 
lands, with a neighborly use of the owners* 
names freely interspersed. During the winter of 
1795, twelve hundred sleighs loaded with Genesee 
Valley emigrants passed through Albany. Land 
was then to be procured for from ten cents to one 
dollar an acre. Roads were still poor and bridge- 
less, beyond Schenectady, until 1796 when a toll- 
bridge was built over the river at Fort Hunter. 

274 



Turnpike and Tavern 275 

On its completion a line of stages was established 
westward from Albany. 

At Cohoes another bridge was built over the 
Mohawk in 1795. Thirteen stone piers gave 
support to this structure, which was nine hundred 
feet in length and twenty-four yards wide. The 
gate house was tended for many years by the 
village blacksmith. 

A fast settling population was working out the 
law of demand and supply. The first mail was 
received at Schenectady on the 3d day of April, 
1783, the stage-coach from Albany having con- 
sumed three weeks in the round trip. During 
the Revolution, Lambert Clement is on record as 
carrying the mail on horseback from Cherry 
Valley to Johnstown. On one occasion his mount 
was shot through the neck, though not disabled. 

In 1790 the first stage carrying mail ran from 
Albany to Schenectady, Johnstown, and Canajo- 
harie once a week. The fare was three cents a 
mile. In 1792 the route was extended to take in, 
once in two weeks, Fort Plain, Old Fort Schuyler 
(now Utica), and Whitestown, 

When the extension was proposed, the Whites- 
town Gazette observed : 



Such an idea a few years ago would have been 
ridiculed, but from the great intercourse with the 
world through this city, we have every reason to 
suppose it will answer a valuable purpose, both to the 
public and the proprietors, especially if the proprietors 



276 The Historic Mohawk 

should succeed in contracting for the mails, of which 
there can be little doubt. 

In 1793, one Simeon Pool was wont to trans- 
port the mail from Canajoharie to Whitestown at 
the expense of the inhabitants, being allowed 
twenty-eight hours to make the round trip of 
twenty miles. This he did on horseback, his 
wife taking his place w^hen other duties claimed his 
time. The same year the first regular stage w^as 
run by Moses Beal once a w-eek over the route of 
Albany, Schenectady, Johnstown, and Canajoharie. 

It is recorded that in 1793 the " Great Western 
mail" arrived at Utica with six letters for the 
inhabitants of "Old Fort Schuyler," a fact that 
soon became known from one end of the settle- 
ment to the other. Then a faithful dog whose 
name was Tray was called into requisition. With 
the letters strapped to his back and his master's 
slave w'histling beside him he perfonned the duties 
of his office and returned in regulation time! 

In 1 794, a post-road was established from Albany 
through Mohawk to Canandaigua. Trips were 
made once in two w'eeks, the fare from Schenec- 
tady to Canajoharie about this time being fourteen 
shillings to go and twelve to return. The pack- 
horse had given place to mammoth w^agons and 
these, in turn, to some extent, to the four- or eight- 
horse nmibling stage. It was needful that the 
driver should be an honest man, for to him were 
entrusted many loving missives and precious 



Turnpike and Tavern 2^] 

parcels. It is said that every post-road and 
turnpike was a mail route. Often the mail was left 
at a hotel and passed from teamster to teamster 
until it found its destined resting-place. 

In 1794, April il, Ananias Piatt, grateful for 
public custom, undertook to run the stage twice 
a day from Lansingburg to Albany and back. 
In 1795, the proprietors of the Western Mail stage 
advertised that they had provided good and com- 
modious stage sleighs which would accommodate 
ten passengers, and had reduced their fares during 
good sleighing to twopence halfpenny per mile. 
The same year John Hudson ran two stages, one 
of four horses, the other of two, daily between 
Albany and Schenectady. Ananias Piatt soon 
followed along this route, making four trips a day. 

The conduct of the mail-stage from Canajoharie 
to Whitestown, formerly assigned to Mr. Pool, 
passed afterward into the hands of Jason Parker, 
who was wont to be tastefully attired for his trips 
in a beaver hat with a broad brim, and a spencer 
which he wore outside his coat and who, when not 
actually driving, always carried a long-stemmed 
pipe. 

The Western Sentinel, September 23, 1795, 
contains one of Mr. Parker's advertisements: 

The mail leaves Whitestown every Monday and 
Thursday at 2 o'clock, p.m., and proceeds to Old 
Fort Schuyler the same evening — next morning starts 
at 4 o'clock and arrives at Canajoharie in the evening ; 
exchanges passengers with the Albany and Coopers- 



278 The Historic Mohawk 

town stages and the next day returns to Old Fort 
Schuyler. Fare for passengers $2.00, way passengers 
four cents per mile, fourteen pounds of baggage gratis, 
150 weight rated the same as a passenger. Seats may 
be had by applying at the post-office, Whitestown, 
or at the home of the Subscriber, old Ft. Schuyler, or 
at Captain Roof's, Canajoharie. 

August, 1795, 

Jason Parker. ] 

In 1796, a Lansingburg paper of August i8th 
says: 

A few years ago, there was but one stage between 
this town and Albany. This was established and 
maintained at great expense by Mr. A. Piatt and for 
a considerable time had little encouragement. He, 
however, persevered and, at this day, this mode of 
travelling has so increased that twenty stages pass 
and repass daily between the neighboring towns of 
Lansingburgh, Troy, Watervliet, and Albany, averag- 
ing more than 150 passengers per day, a proof of our 
growth and prosperity. 

Albany and Schenectady 

morning stage 

The Public are respectfully informed that Good- 
man's Albany and Schenectady morning Stage will 
start from his House in Schenectady on the mornings 
of Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 o'clock, 
arrive in Albany at eleven, call at Piatt's, Lewis's, 
Crane's, Trowbridge's, Wendell's and Skinner's on the 
Dock, for passengers, and return on the evenings of the 



Turnpike and Tavern 279 

same days. Careful and civil drivers, due attention 
to every command, and the least favor gratefully 
acknov/ledged by the Publick's humble servant, 

Simeon Goodman. 
Schenectady, October 15, 1799. 
From The Albany Centinel, 
Friday, December 27, 1799. 

Twice a Week 

The Mail Stage will start from Utica every Tuesday 
and Friday morning, and arrive at Schenectady in two 
days. Those Ladies and Gentlemen who will favor 
the Subscribers with their custom will find good 
horses, easy carriages, and the best and most experi- 
enced drivers. Particular attention will be paid by 
both the proprietors and drivers. 

The publick's most humble servants, 

Moses Beal and Jason Parker. 

Utica, Nov. 11, 1799. 

The Western 

mail stage 

Commenced running three times a week on Monday 
the i8th inst. To start from Dunn's Stage-house, 
Albany, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 
5 o'clock A.M. leaves Schenectady the same day at 
9 o'clock. Persons wishing to travel on the above 
stage will please to apply the day previous to the 
starting to engage their seats. 

Moses Beal. 

Schenectady, May 30, 1807. 

N.B. — The Fare from Albany to Utica five dollars 
and fifty cents. 



28o The Historic Mohawk 

For Seats on the Schenectady daily Stage, apply as 
above. 

Schenectady & Albany 

STAGES 

The subscriber has this day commenced running an 
Afternoon Stage to Albany. The stage leaves the 
Schenectady Coffee-House every afternoon, at 6 
o'clock, Simday excepted. A good Carriage, able 
Horses and a careful driver is procured. 

For seats, apply at the Schenectady Coffee-House, 
comer of Union and Ferry Street, and at John B. 
Clute's, Washington Street, and Gideon Dubois' 
Inn, corner of Washington and Front Streets. 

N.B. The Morning stage runs as usual. 

James Rogers. 
Schenectady, April 25, 1808. 

In 1 8 10, Joshua Ostrom and others started a 
line of stages leaving Albany, Monday and Friday, 
and Utica, Monday and Thursday. The runs a 
little later became more frequent and the route 
came into sharp competition with that of Mr. 
Parker. Parker and Powell, in 181 1, advertised: 

The mail stages now leave Baggs, Utica. every 
morning at 4 o'clock. Passengers will breakfast at 
Maynard's, Herkimer, dine at Josiah Shepherd's, 
Palatine, and sup (on oysters) at Thomas Powell's 
Tontine Coffee House, Schenectady. The ladies and 
gentlemen who will favor this line with their patronage 
may be assvired of having good horses, attentive 



Turnpike and Tavern 281 

drivers, warm carriages, and that there shall not be 
any running or racing of horses on the line. 

Mr. Parker's rivals, having no mails to caiTy, 
announced their willingness to "go through in one 
day unless the extreme badness of the traveling 
rendered it utterly impossible." Passengers were 
to "have the liberty of breakfasting dining & 
supping where when and on what they please. 
No more than eight persons, unless by unanimous 
consent." 

A driver named Parsons, in the early 1800's, was 
accustomed to make the trip all the way from 
Connecticut to Whitestown and very popular was 
his stage with the villagers. Seats were engaged 
for months ahead. His horn was a welcome sound, 
for there was little other opportunity to hear from 
the old home. The trip to Hartford was two 
weeks in length. At the time of starting he would 
drive from one little settlement to another to take 
on the passengers. 

In 1823, Thomas Powell commenced running 
daily stages from Schenectady to Troy, fare 
seven cents each way. From a Schenectady 
newspaper of May i, 1823, we find, at the close of 
the advertisement announcing the new enterprise, 
the following quaint notice: 

N.B. As this is an establishment entirely new, it 
is not likely to be very profitable at first; but the 
proprietor hopes in time, with the assistance of his 
friends, to make it a great accommodation to the 



282 The Historic Mohawk 

public and merely asks a remuneration for necessary 
expenses. 

In 1825, another daily line was started between 
Schenectady and Troy and the fare reduced to six 
and one-half cents. 

What more picturesque sight can imagina- 
tion conjure up than that of the old stage-coach 
thundering up from Albany or the West? The 
creaking of the wheels, the stamp of the horses' 
hoofs, the blast of the driver's horn and the harm- 
less crack of the long whip that his four or eight 
horses might make a creditable dash into public 
\'iew! 

Jolly jehus the drivers were, too, as well able to 
crack a joke as a whip. The motley, picturesque 
load that presently emerged. — the little gossip- 
ing crowd that idly scanned the passengers or 
eagerly waited for loN^ing missives and the latest 
news ! 

Perhaps the scene is laid in \s-inter and amid 
drifting snows, instead of the expected stage a 
solitar\' horseman picks his floimdering way to the 
door of the inn. That means that the stage is 
caught in the storm, and fresh horses and willing 
men must attempt its relief, to bring the jaded 
steeds and the load of dampened passengers to the 
hospitable roof. 

The countr}* inn! Did it ever look more 
ui\~iting than now with its blazing fire-place — 
no less alluring in simimer, with its broad poplar- 
shaded veranda. InN^iting were the good \touw's 



Turnpike and Tavern 283 

sausages and sauerkraut, her ham and eggs, fresh 
brook trout, maple sugar, and Dutch cheese, and 
the thousand other old-fashioned dishes our 
grandmothers knew so well how to make. Sweet 
was rest at last in the comfortable beds which 
were the pride of the thrifty heart. 

When the energetic New Englanders once made 
up their minds to emigrate, they so swelled the tide 
of travel that the Mohawk Valley people were 
compelled to open their doors and put out signs 
whether they would or not. "Road-houses ' ' were 
scarcely a mile apart. Along the Mohawk turn- 
pike, the good vrouws vied with each other in 
the reputation for excellent cookery and well- 
made beds, — indeed, the home of nearly every 
well-to-do citizen along the route was perforce a 
country inn. 

The form of Ucense ran : 

Have examined and find the hereinafter named 
persons of good moral character and of sufficient 
ability to keep inns or taverns and that inns or taverns 
are absolutely necessary at the several places where 
they now reside for the accommodation of travellers. 

The Black Horse, Black Bear, White Horse, 
Red Lion, White Bear, — such were some of the 
most common signs. 

Sugar is sweet, 

And so is honey, 
Here 's the place 

To spend your money. 



284 The Historic Mohawk 

This inscription must have been taking, indeed. 
The reverse side bears the landlord's name and a 
pictured beehive. Both sides were commonly 
painted. 

The famous "I am going to law" sign belonged 
to the Upham tavern at Herkimer. A gayly 
attired and mounted gentleman's picture was 
labelled with the above words. The reverse 
portrayed a dilapidated individual on a sorry- 
looking nag, and beneath was printed "I have 
been to law." A sad-looking traveller on foot 
adorned another sign. The reverse was a pictured 
frolic, very gay indeed, of dancing and "fiddle" 
playing. An Indian chief decorated the sign of 
William Smith. A Utica hotel was appropriately 
named, considering the style of cognomen as- 
signed the settlements of the vicinity. It was 
called the " Cincinnatus, " and the sign was 
ornamented with the classic countenance of that 
Roman patriot. 

It became evident, somewhere about the year 
1787, that a "house of rest" was needed some- 
where between the "Old City" (Albany) and 
the "New City" (Lansingburg) . Accordingly, 
the enterprising Col. Stephen Ashley, of Salisbury, 
Connecticut, took the matter in hand and secured 
the lease of the old brick dwelling of Mattys 
Vander Heyden, erected in 1752. 

Mr. Ashley's sign was unique. A small gate 
suspended across the road attracted the attention 
of the traveller. It was attached to a strip of 



Turnpike and Tavern 285 

board, supported by two tall posts. On the board 
was the inscription : 

"This gate hangs low, it hinders none; refresh, 
then pay and travel on." 

Another post stood in front of the house. It 
was surmounted by an open three-sided box. 
Each side was labelled: 

"Come, here is Ashley's. Let us call." 

There were nine taverns among the sixty houses 
at Johnstown in 1806. 

Still standing in Johnstown is the old Black 
Horse, with its many little closets, small windows, 
porch in front, and the double Dutch ovens, 
visible from the outside. 

Vaumane Jean Baptiste De Fonclaiere kept 
a public house, still standing, in Johnstown. 
This house was quite a rendezvous for fur-traders 
from the north. In 1796 he built another tavern 
at the intersection of the roads to Tribes Hill and 
Fonda's Bush. 

In the early part of the nineteenth century there 
were thirteen houses between "Fink's" and East 
Creek, a distance of five miles — and twelve of them 
were taverns. Fink's fine tavern, still standing, 
was built in 1805. Horses were always changed at 
Herkimer, the driver blowing his horn to give 
warning of his approach. Fresh steeds would be 
in readiness. 

John Roof entertained, at his inn at Roofstown, 
now Canajoharie, some distinguished guests, 
among them Clinton and Washington. This 



286 The Historic Mohawk 

building was of stone, one and one half stories 
high, with a gable end, and had been erected some 
years previously by a Mr. Schremling. It was 
famous for its supply of sauerkraut, Dutch cheese, 
bread, and maple sugar, 

A wooden house, known as the "Stage House," 
adorned with a pictured coach and four, was 
afterward built in front of the stone structure. 
It was kept, in 1826, by one Reuben Peake, later 
by Elisha Kane Roof. The present Hotel Wagner 
now occupies the site. 

The oldest building in the village of Mohawk 
was built by Judge Gates in 1778. In 1804, it 
came into the possession of Rudolph Devendorf 
and, in 1817, it was sold to his brother, David 
Diefendorf , and opened as a Dutch tavern. 

Mr. Wagner came to Fort Plain in 1805 and 
put up a small inn which was afterward converted 
into a dwelling. At East Canada Creek there 
was a stage house, kept by Mr. Couch, always to be 
relied on for excellent ham and eggs and fresh 
brook trout. 

Mr. John Post came from Schenectady to 
Utica in the spring of 1790. His house became a 
dwelling, store, and inn and, until 1794, divided 
the honors with that of Colonel Bellinger, the 
two being the only places in the vicinity prepared 
for the entertainment of travellers. 

In 1798, Mr. Timothy D wight remarks: 

A company of gentlemen from Holland, who have 
purchased large tracts of land in this state and 









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Turnpike and Tavern 287 

Pennsylvania and who are known by the name of the 
Holland Land Company have built here a large 
brick house to sen^e as an inn. 

"The Hotel" was the only name by which the 
edifice was knov^*n until 18 14. when its proprietor 
named it the York House. The first landlord 
was Mr. Schwartze, and he announced at its 
opening, December 2, 1799, that "the hotel in the 
village of Utica is open for the reception of such 
ladies and gentlemen as choose to honor the 
proprietor with their patronage. " 

A ball, followed by several entertainments, was 
given in celebration of the new enterprise. The 
invitations read: 

Whitestown Dancing Assembly 

The Honor of s Compant 

IS Requested at the Hotel Assembly 
Rooms, in Utica, for the Season. 

B.Walker W. G. Tracy ^ 

J. S. Kip C. Platt V Managers. 

A. Breese N. Willl\msJ 
Dec. 20. 1794. 

Still the tide of travel swelled. First, it was 
Oneida, then Genesee, then, in later days, came 
the great immigrant wagons, canvas-covered, 
marked ''Ohio," then "Indiana" and all took 
their course through the ^Mohawk Valley. De- 
tached horsemen and riders were sent forward 
to secure accommodations for the night. Team- 



288 The Historic Mohawk 

sters were glad to sleep on the floor on outspread 
overcoats, — if only some shelter might be fi-imishel 
for their horses. 

During the earlier years of the nineteenth 
century, stages multiplied; eight to twelve, some- 
times fourteen, entering or leaving Schenectady 
daily. 

Toll-gates were an interesting feature of the 
landscape. Of them an English traveller says: 

Toll gates do not swing on hinges as in England, but 
lift up by the portcullis, a costom used in countries 
referred to by that beautiftil and subiime passage in 
Psalms: "Lift uo vour heads. O ve gates and be ve 
lifted up. ye everlasting doors and the King of Glory 
shall come in." 

There were toll-gates at Schenectady, Swartz's 
(CranesviUe), Caughnawaga (Fonda), a little 
east of Schenck's Hollow, near Wagner's Hollow, 
near Garoga Creek, lower St. Johnsville, East 
Creek Bridge, Fink's Ferry, and West Canada 
Creek Herkimer) , Sterling and Old Fort Schuyler 
(Utica). 

In those days the freighter sprang into being. 
He conveyed freight from Albany to Buffalo at 
five dollars per hundred weight, from Albany to 
Utica at eleven dollars for one hundred pounds. 
He carried his own mattress upon which to sleep, 
to be rolled up in the morning and stowed away 
in the wagon. 

Pennsylvania freighters were much in evidence. 



Turnpike and Tavern 289 

— large, stout wagons, large, stout harness, and 
large, stout, finely developed horses, the rear ones 
decked with musical open bells. 

A shilling was the usual price of a meal, likewise 
of lodging. The farmer carrying his produce to 
Albany brought his own lunch, home-cooked, and 
ate it from his wooden box. Some teamsters 
carried fodder for their horses and what they could 
not supply could be prociu-ed at reasonable rates. 
A horse provided by his master with oats but 
no hay was furnished with stable and hay for 
night and morning, and the charge was eighteen 
cents. 

Hot coffee, beer, or stronger drink could be 
obtained at very small price to wash down the 
cold food. Whiskey was but twenty-five cents a 
gallon. The barroom was often heated by a 
large fireplace or, perhaps, two fireplaces, in 
which were stored great quantities of green- 
picked wood which consumed slowly and lasted 
long. A sheet-iron box, provided with a pipe and 
elevated on a brick base, was sometimes used for 
a stove. An iron box inserted in the stone wall 
between the barroom and kitchen — closed on 
barroom side, open for cooking purposes into the 
kitchen — was another heating method. 

It was needful that inns should be safe, and 
they were intrusted to men of good repute and 
often of some importance in the community. 
They were generally the homes of the well-to-do, 
naturally best adapted to the needs of travellers. 
19 



290 The Historic Mohawk 

On the walls were posted advertisements, — 
stages, entertainments, lost cattle or jewelry, 
good, fresh foods, in miscellaneous confusion. 
Accommodations varied much. Some taverns 
provided bunks for teamsters, ranged along the 
sides of the room ; covered boxes were the traveller's 
own impromptu table; uncovered, his bed. 

Says a traveller of the day: "At Inns, look for 
no bowing landlord or waiter." Indeed, the 
hosts were quite independent and allowed their 
swarming guests to water their own horses and 
look pretty well after themselves. 

Said Mrs. Petrie, a daughter of Mr. Post: 

As ours was the first house which could accommo- 
date travellers, a sign was put up, though reluctantly, 
and my father kept tavern no longer than until some 
one with means, etc. could be prevailed on to leave a 
more privileged place to settle here, for the sole pur- 
pose of keeping a tavern. In those days, men in that 
business were very independent, and if travellers 
or "movers" wished to "put up" at a tavern, they 
had to help themselves, water their own horses or 
oxen, harness or yoke them again, and if they asked 
to be served with aught the landlord or his family 
would sometimes ask, "who was your waiter last 
year ?" 

In those days, when our great-grandfathers 
went to Congress or attended to no less laudable 
enterprises, our hardy great-grandmothers had a 
pleasant and thrifty habit of running the inns 



Turnpike and Tavern 291 

during their absence, and sometimes had occasion 
to show their grit. 

In the newer settlements, the Indians were 
often unwelcome guests, stretching themselves 
in front of the fire in winter and on grass plats 
in summer, or in the bam if not too drunk 
to find it. 

Mrs. Post of Utica was subject to peculiar 
trials at the hands of the red men and met them 
bravely. Holding up her smiling infant to the 
terrible half-breed, Brant, engaged in angry dis- 
pute with a dusky chieftain, she melted that stem 
warrior's wrath to tender tears. At another time, 
she withstood the demands of a maudlin red 
crowd for more whiskey, although the leader was 
armed with a knife, until she was able, through 
the window, to hail the hired man. That in- 
dividual, diplomatically promising whiskey, was 
permitted to enter. At the same moment the 
mistress of the house contrived, with an iron rod, 
to knock the knife from the red man's hand. 
Reinforced, she was now able to repel the in- 
vaders and to win their lasting respect. 

Many distinguished travellers have made the 
tour of our valley and paid admiring tributes to 
its beauties or quaintly described its early customs. 
Of these we have selected three. 

Thurlow Weed tells us that as late as April, 
1829, he left Albany at eight o'clock in the evening 
and travelled diligently for "seven nights and six 
days" to reach Rochester. 



292 The Historic Mohawk 

^ The road from Albany to Schenectady, with the 
exception of two or three miles, was in horrible condi- 
tion and that west of Schenectady, until we reached 
"Tripes" or "Tribes Hill" still worse. For a few miles, 
in the vicinity of the Palatine Church, there was a 
gravelly road, over which the driver could raise a trot, 
but this was a luxury experienced in but few localities, 
and those "far between. " Passengers walked, to save 
the coach, several miles each day, and each night. 
Although they did not literally carry rails on their 
shoulders to pry the coach out of ruts, they were 
frequently called upon to use rails for that purpose. 
Such snail-paced movements and such discomforts in 
travel would be regarded as unendurable now. And 
yet passengers were patient and some of them even 
cheerful under all these delays and annoyances. 
That, however, was an exceptional passage. It 
was only when we had "horrid bad" roads that stages, 
"drew their slow lengths along." 

• • • • • • • 

Proceeding eastward, we came to the Oneida Castle, 
the residence of the Oneida tribe of Indians. These 
Indians, long surrounded by white inhabitants, had 
emerged from their savage habits and customs, and 
were enjoying the advantages of civilization. These 
advantages consisted in loafing about taverns and 
groceries and in drinking bad whiskey. This process 
of demoralization went on until the few who did not die 
prematurely were induced to emigrate to Wisconsin. 
After leaving the Castle, the passengers would talk of 
the devotion of Rev. Mr. Kirkland to the Oneida 

' Reprinted from A utobiography of Thurlow Weed by courtesy 
of the Houghton Mifflin Company. 



Turnpike and Tavern 293 

Indians, of the eloquence of Skenando, one of their 
head chiefs, and of a French officer. Colonel de Ferrier, 
who married an Indian wife at Oneida Castle and whose 
sons and daughters were well-educated ladies and 
gentlemen, and this topic would scarcely be exhausted 
when we were driven into the village of Vernon, where 
we always changed horses. In Vernon, itself, there 
was nothing especially remarkable. The hotel was 
kept by a Mr. Stuart, whose sons and grandsons were 
persons of more or less consideration in different parts 
of the State for many years afterward. From Vernon 
to Westmoreland was but a few miles. The hotel at 
Westmoreland was kept by Mrs. Cary, a widow lady 
with six or seven accomplished daughters, who, as 
far as propriety allowed, made the hotel pleasant for 
the guests. These young ladies, quite well-known by 
intelligent and gentlemanly stage passengers, were 
sometimes irreverently designated as " Mother Cary's 
chickens." In this, however, no disrespect was in- 
tended for, tho' chatty and agreeable, they were 
deservedly esteemed and all, "in the course of human 
events," were advantageously married. 

From Westmoreland, we were driven rapidly 
through New Hartford, into Utica, seventy-two miles 
from Auburn. This was the end of our second day's 
journey. But, for the accommodation of those who 
preferred a night ride, a stage left Utica at 9 p. m. 
Those to whom time was important, took the night 
line. We, however, will remain over. Utica is now 
no "pent up" place. 

From Herkimer to Little Falls, seven miles, there 
were no particular attractions ; nor indeed was there 
much of interest at the Falls, a small village with a 
valuable waterpower, nearly unavailable on account 



294 The Historic Mohawk 

of its being owned by Mr. Edward Ellice, a non-resi- 
dent Englishman — 

whom Mr. Weed highly praises. 



From Little Falls we came, after an hour's ride, 
to a hill, by the bank of the river, which several years 
before, General Scott was descending in a stage, when 
the driver discovered, at a sharp turn near the 
bottom of the hill, a Pennsylvania wagon, winding its 
way up diagonally. The driver saw but one escape 
from a disastrous collision and that to most persons 
would have appeared even more dangerous than the 
collision. The driver, however, having no time for 
reflection, instantly guided his team over the precipice, 
and into the river, from which the horses, passengers, 
coach and driver were safely extricated. The passen- 
gers, following General Scott's example, made the 
driver a handsome present, as a reward for his courage 
and sagacity. We dine at the East Canada Creek, 
where the stage house, kept by Mr. Couch, was al- 
ways to be relied on for excellent ham and eggs and 
fresh brook trout. Nothing of especial interest until 
we reach Spraker's, a well-known tavern that neither 
stages nor vehicles of any description were ever known 
to pass. 

At Canajoharie, a tall, handsome man, with 
graceful manners, is added to our list of passengers. 
This is the Hon. Alfred Conkling, who in 1820 was 
elected to Congress from this district and who has 
just been appointed Judge of the United States District 



Turnpike and Tavern 295 

Court for the Northern District of New York by Mr. 
Adams. Judge ConkHng is now (in 1870) the oldest 
surviving New York member of Congress. 

In passing Conine's Hotel near the Nose the 
fate of a beautiful young lady who loved not wisely, 
but too well, with an exciting breach of promise, etc. 
would be related. Still further East, we stop at 
Failing's tavern for water. Though but an ordinary 
tavern in the summer season, all travelers cherish a 
pleasant remembrance of the winter fare, for leaving 
a cold stage with chilled limbs, if not frozen ears, you 
were sure to find at Failing's bar and dining-rooms, 
rousing fires and the remembrance of the light, lively 
"hot and hot" buckwheat cakes and the unimpeach- 
able sausages would renew the appreciation, even if 
you had just risen from a hearty meal. 

Going some miles further east, we come in sight of a 
building on the south side of the Mohawk River and 
near the brink, the peculiar architecture of which at- 
tracts attention. This was formerly Charles Kane's 
store, or rather the store of the brothers Kane, 
five of whom were distinguished merchants in the 
early years of the present century. They were all 
gentlemen of education, commanding in person, 
accomplished and refined in manners and associa- 
tions. 



The next points of attraction were of much historical 
interest. Sir William and Guy Johnson built spacious 
and showy mansions a few miles west of the village of 
Amsterdam, long before the Revolution, in passing 
which interesting anecdotes relating to the English 



296 The Historic Mohawk 

baronet's connection with the Indians was remembered. 
A few miles west of Sir William Johnson's, old stagers 
would look for an addition to our number of passengers, 
in the person of Daniel Cady, a very eminent lawyer, 
who resided at Johnstown and for more than fifty 
years was continually passing to and from Albany. 
At Amsterdam, Marcus S. Reynolds, then a rising 
young lawyer of that village often took his seat in the 
stage and was a most companionable traveler. He 
subsequently removed to Albany where, for more than 
a quarter of a century, he held a high professional and 
social position. 

i And now, as the Valley of the Mohawk spreads out 
more broadly, and the eye wanders over fields teeming 
with the bountiful products of Mother Earth, we come 
in view of Schenectady, first seen by a graduate of 
Union who immediately becomes eloquent in his 
laudation of Dr. Nott, whose sermon at Albany 
against duelling occasioned by the death of General 
Hamilton, is claimed as the greatest effort of the age. 
Our graduate would then enumerate the distinguished 
men scattered over the Union who owed their success 
to Dr. Nott's peculiar mode of lectures and training. 
Then, as we approached the old bridge across the 
Mohawk, he would tell us how long it had withstood 
storm and tempest and how many dark secrets it 
would disclose if it could talk. 



From Schenectady to Albany, thro' dwarf pines and 
a barren soil, the turnpike road ornamented with 
poplar trees at uniform distances on either side was 
tame and, unless enlivened by conversation, dull. 
But it was an unusual circumstance to find a stage- 



Turnpike and Tavern 297 

coach, with fair weather and good roads, between 
Rochester and Albany, that was not enlivened by- 
conversation, for there were almost always two or 
three intellectual passengers. Myron Holly, for 
example, with a gifted and highly-cultivated mind 
had committed to memory, and would recite by the 
hour, gems from the British poets. Mr. Granger 
also had a good memory, and would often, during the 
evening, recite from Burns, Moore and others. Richard 
L. Smith, a lawyer from Auburn, with his wit and 
drolleries, would make hours and miles seem short. 
And there was an unfailing source of fun at every 
stopping place in the "gibes and jokes" of the stage- 
drivers, who, as a class, were as peculiar, quaint and 
racy as those representatives of the senior and junior 
Wellers in Pickwick, as Samuel described them, — 
a class of highly social individuals, who had been 
driven off the roads and compelled to earn a precarious 
living by tending pikes and switches, or marrying 
"vidders," and whose intellectual successors are 
engine-drivers and stokers. 

The stage-drivers of that day lived merry but short 
lives. The exceptions were in favor of those who, 
after a few years' experience, married some respectable 
farmer's daughter on their route, and changed their 
occupation from stage-driving to farming. 

Miss Martineau, in her autobiography, pub- 
lished in 1839, remarks: 

I traversed the valley of the Mohawk twice, — 
the first time by the canal, the next by stage, which 
I much preferred, both on account of the views being 
better from the highroad, and from the discomfort of 



298 The Historic Mohawk 

the canal boats. I had also the opportunity of ob- 
serving the courses of the canal and the new railroad 
throughout. 

I was amused, the first time, at hearing some gentle- 
men plan how the bed of the shoaly Mohawk might be 
deepened, so as to admit the passage of steam-boats. 
It would be nearly as easy to dig a river at once for 
the purpose and pump it full; in other words, to make 
another canal, twice as wonderful as the present. 
The railroad is a better scheme by far. In winter 
the traffic is continued by sleighs on the canal ice; 
and a pretty sight it must be. 

The aspect of the valley was really beautiful last 
June. It must have made the Mohawk Indians 
heartsore to part with it, in its former quiet state, 
but now there is more beauty, as well as more life. 
There are farms, in every stage of advancement, with 
all the stir of life about them ; and the still graveyard 
belonging to each, showing its white palings and 
tombstones on the hillside near at hand. Some- 
times, a small space in the orchard is railed in for this 
purpose. In a shallow reach of the river there was a 
line of cows wading through, to busy themselves in the 
luxuriant pasture of the islands in the midst of the 
Mohawk. In a deeper part, the chain ferry-boat 
slowly conveyed the passengers across. The soil of 
the valley is remarkably rich, and the trees and 
verdure unusually fine. The hanging oak-woods of 
the ridge were beautiful and the knolls, tilled or un- 
tilled; and the little waterfalls trickling or leaping 
down, to join the rushing river. Little knots of 
houses were clustered about the locks and bridges of 
the canal, and here and there a village, with its white 
church conspicuous, spread away into the middle of 



Turnpike and Tavern 299 

the narrow valley. The green and white canal boats 
might be seen stealing along under the opposite ridge, 
or issuing from a clump of elms or bushes, or gliding 
along a graceful aqueduct with the diminished figures 
of the walking passengers seen moving along the bank. 
On the other hand, the railroad, skirting the base 
of the ridge and the shanties of the Irish laborers 
roofed with turf, and the smoke issuing from a barrel 
at one corner were so grouped as to look picturesque, 
however little comfortable. In some of the narrowest 
passes of the valley, the high-road, the railroad and 
canal and the river, are all brought close together, and 
look as if they were trying which could escape first 
into a larger space. The scene at Little Falls is 
magnificent, viewed from the road, in the light of a 
summer's morning. The carrying the canal and rail- 
road through this pass was a grand idea, — and the 
solidity and beauty of the works are worthy of it. 

John Melish, a traveller of 181 1, describes his 
journey thus: 

Nov. II — As we approached towards Utica, I was 
quite surprised with the appearance of the country; 
the houses were so thick, that it was for a considerable 
way like a continued village. Many of the buildings 
were elegant with fine orchards attached to them and 
the plots of ground adjoining were fertile and ele- 
gantly cultivated; while the lands at a little distance 
formed a singular contrast. They were bare of trees 
to a considerable distance, but the stumps were pro- 
fusely scattered over the surface, a sure indication 
that the country had not long been the habitation 
of man. This is indeed a new country, but society 



300 The Historic Mohawk 

has made rapid progress; the more so, of course that it 
is immediately contiguous to the old; and Utica, 
which we reached at 9 o'clock, may be termed the key 
to the western country. 

November 13th. The day clear and pleasant. I 
set out at 10 o'clock, and crossing the Mohawk river 
by a good wooden bridge, I travelled by a turnpike 
road, five miles, to a toll-bar. The bottoms here are 
fertile, but the lands at a distance appear rough, and 
a good many pine-trees are to be seen on the brows of 
the hills. To the next toll-bar is eighteen miles, in 
which space the valley contracts, the hills become more 
lofty and more barren, but the valley, on the river, 
about a mile wide, is rich land abounding with hand- 
some settlements. I observed two streams to emerge 
from the hills and fall into the river on the opposite 
side. Beyond the second toll-bar, the road leads over 
a lofty bank, near the side of the river, over which I 
travelled a'mile and a half, and then descended to the 
village of Herkimer, where I stopped all night. 

Herkimer is romantically situated in a pretty valley, 
and consists of fifty-two houses, containing about 
360 inhabitants. 

It has a church, a court house, four taverns, and 
five stores; and issues a weekly newspaper. 

Herkimer county is well settled. The river hills 
are barren but the interior of the country is said to be 
pretty fertile. 

Thursday, Nov. 14th. The morning was cloudy, 
cold and disagreeable. About half a mile to the east 
of the village, I passed a rapid stream called West 
Canada creek. After crossing it the road rises to the 
top of a bank elevated more than one hundred feet 
above the river, affording a fine view of the country, 



Turnpike and Tavern 301 

which continues seven miles to Little Falls. The 
valley is narrow, but well settled; the road good with 
a hard gravelly bottom, and the adjoining lands stony; 
but the wheatfields, being green, exhibited a pleasing 
appearance. 

As I approached the falls, I observed the valley 
to contract till the hills appeared almost to close, and 
the banks were singularly rough and stony. Above 
the falls, I crossed the canal, handsomely faced with 
hewn stone; and I again crossed it, close by the locks 
as I entered the village, and passed on to Morgan's 
tavern, a handsome freestone building. While break- 
fast was preparing, I took a view of the village and 
canal. 



The canal was cut about eighteen years ago. It 
was originally constructed of wood ; but that falling to 
decay, it was rebuilt of stone eight years ago. There 
axe eight locks at this place. The toll has been 
lessened within these few years, on account of the 
waggons taking away the trade from the canal. It is 
at present one dollar twenty-five cents per ton. 



When breakfast was announced, I went into the 
parlors, where a very handsome young lady was 
seated at the breakfast table, to pour out the tea; 
and the articles before her were so numerous that I 
could not help taking an inventory of them. The 
insertion of this will show that the people who live 
in the back woods are not quite so much in the savage 
state as some late tourists would have us to believe. 



302 The Historic Mohawk 

Table and table-cloth, 

Tea-tray, 

Two metal tea-pots. 

One metal milk-pot ! 

Sugar-bowl, 

China cups, 

Egg-cup, 

Silver sugar-tongs. 

Silver tea-spoons. 

Silver castor with six cut crystal glasses. 

Plates, 

Carving-knife and fork, and common knife and 

fork, 
Tea, 
Sugar, 
Cream, 
Bread, 
Butter, 

Toast and butter, 
Beefsteak, 
Eggs, 
Cheese, 
Crackers, 
Potatoes, 
Beets, 
Salt, 
Vinegar, 
Black pepper, 
Cayenne pepper. 

I recollected Dr. Adam Smith's theory of the 
division of labour. How many persons must have 
been employed, thought I, in providing materials for 
this breakfast. The charge was twenty-five cents. 



Turnpike and Tavern 303 

As I passed through the village, I observed some 
masons building a stone arch, the first I have seen 
building in America. Half a mile below the village, 
the road comes close to the river side, and is carried 
over a large hollow, by a wooden bridge, from which 
there is a fine view of the lower part of the falls. 
Below this there are huge masses of perpendicular 
rocks on each side, and the whole bears evident marks 
of having been cut through by the river. Beyond 
this the bottoms spread out to the usual breadth 
of about a mile and are well cultivated. The river is 
navigable, and the sloping declivities of the hills 
present many handsome views. 

Beyond the falls, the road passes through a low 
level tract of land, about seven miles when it rises to 
an eminence of at least two hundred feet, from whence 
there is a charming bird's-eye view of the valleys 
below and of the hills, woods and cultivated fields at a 
distance, many of which had been sown with wheat 
and presented a cheering, verdant prospect. 

After descending from this eminence, I crossed 
East Canada creek, a very rapid stream, having nu- 
merous mills upon it. On the east side of the creek, 
I perceived a machine for beating clay to make bricks. 

Rising again to a high bank, I stopped at a tavern 
to feed my horse. Here I met the Utica stage and 
saw a young gentleman, tv/o days from New York, 
distant upwards of two hundred and twenty miles. I 
was informed that this was the frontier in the time 
of the American war, where it raged with great fury. 
Our landlord, a German, said he carried arms during 
the war, and should his adopted country's cause re- 
quire it, he was ready to turn out again, though sixty- 
four years of age. 



304 The Historic Mohawk 

Leaving the tavern, I passed a rapid stream, where I 
observed a saw-mill, and a hemp or flax-mill, and, 
five miles below, I saw the Palatine bridge across the 
Mohawk river. The road proceeds about four miles 
through a low bottom of stiff clay, and at dark I 
passed a curious projecting point called the Nose two 
miles from which I stopped at the house of Mr. 
Connolly, an intelligent Irishman. 

In the morning, my obliging landlord gave me 
directions as to the road and I set out at sunrise the 
weather being clear with hard frost. 

To the north of the tavern, there is a low bottom 
about a quarter of a mile broad terminated by a steep 
ridge about three hundred feet high, from whence 
water is conveyed in pipes to the house. This ridge 
approaches the river, as it proceeds westward close to 
which it forms the point, already mentioned, called the 
Nose, from its resemblance to the nose on the himian 
face. 

• • • • • • * 

Johnstown contains about sixty houses and five 
hundred inhabitants. It is the seat of justice of 
Montgomery county, and has a court-house, jail, an 
episcopal and presbyterian church, an academy, and 
two printing-offices. There are nine taverns and 
nine stores. Two doctors and eight lawyers reside in 
the town; the other inhabitants are generally me- 
chanics. Johnstown was settled about the time of 
the war, and the inhabitants are mostly of Scottish 
and Irish extraction. 

At 3 o'clock, I set out for Broadalbin distant seven 
or eight miles. The road passes over high lands, the 
soil rather sandy. From every point by the way there 



Turnpike and Tavern 305 

is an extensive view of high-elevated lands to the north 
and west, of the Catskill hills to the south ; and to the 
east the vast range of mountains in Vermont appear 
in lofty majesty. I reached Broadalbin near sun-set 
and stopping to inquire for Mr. Mclntyre, I found an 
old gentleman at the gate engaged in a contest with a 
cow, who seemed determined to have two pumpkins 
whether he would or not. Having assisted him to 
drive off the intruder, I was proceeding with my in- 
quiries, when he told me he was Daniel Mclntyre. He 
ordered a boy to take charge of my horse, invited me 
into the house, and introduced me to his family and 
informed me that James would be home presently, 
when we would get all the news. 

Mr. James Mclntyre soon arrived and I spent a 
very pleasant evening with the family. 



After supper the family assembled to prayers and 
the whole was conducted in the primitive mode prac- 
tised by the peasantry of Scotland, so beautifully 
described in Burns' Cotter's Saturday Night, of which I 
shall transcribe the last stanza, and close the transac- 
tions of the day. 

Then kneeling down to Heaven's Eternal King, 

The saint, the father, and the husband prays ; 

Hope springs exulting on triumphant wing 

That thus they all shall meet in future days, 

There ever bask in uncreated rays 

No more to sigh or shed the bitter tear, 

Together hymning their Creator's praise 

In such society yet still more dear; 

While circling time moves round in an eternal sphere. 

30 



CHAPTER XII 

RIVER AND CANAL 

THE Indian canoe was still occasionally to 
be seen on the Mohawk River, and so, in 
greater frequency, was the bateau. As in the days 
of Sir William, it bore its load of merchandise, 
the latter carried aroinid the rifts in wagons with 
small wide-rimmed wheels and the bateaux them- 
selves forced over them by means of poles and 
ropes. The rifts were as follows : — the first about 
six miles beyond Schenectady, known as Six 
Flats rift — next, in order, Fort Hunter rift, 
Caughnawaga rift, Keator's rift, Brandywine rift, 
Ehle's rift, Kneiskern's rift, the Little Falls 
and Wolf's rift. 

After the completion, in 1797, of the new system 
of navigation introduced by the "Inland Lock 
Navigation Company of New York" — Mohawk 
to Wood Creek, the Durham boat began to take 
the place of the bateau. Somewhat like the 
modern canal-boat in shape, weighing from eight 
tons to eighty, provided near the bow with a mast, 
it was propelled mainly by means of pole or tow- 
line. The making and repairing of Durham boats 

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River and Canal 307 

became a great industry at Schenectady and, as 
late as 18 12, many of them could be seen at the 
dock yard on Strand Street. The Schenectady 
boats were most in demand. Ten to fifteen tons 
could be carried and the load often included 
apples and cider. Several of these craft were wont 
to journey in company for mutual helpfulness at 
the rifts. One of them has been described as 

a round-bottom skiff forty to fifty ft. in length. 
They have likewise a moveable mast in the middle. 
When the wind serves they set a square and top sail 
which at a distance gives them the appearance of a 
square-rigged vessel coming before the wind. 

From eighteen to twenty-five miles a day was 
about the amount of water covered. 

Within the boat on each side is a fixed plank 
running fore and aft with a number of cross cleats 
nailed upon it for the purpose of giving the poleman a 
sure footing in hand-polling. 

It is not often that a fair wind will serve for more 
than three or four hours together, as the irregular 
course of the river renders its aid very precarious; 
their chief dependence, therefore, is upon their pike 
poles. These are eighteen to twenty-two feet in length, 
having a sharp pointed iron, with a socket weighing 
ten to twelve pounds affixed to the lower end; the 
upper had a large knob called a button, mounted upon 
it, so that the poleman may press upon it his whole 
weight without endangering his person. 

The men, after setting their poles against a rock, 
bank or bottom of the river, inclining their heads very 



3o8 The Historic Mohawk 

low, place the upper end of the button against the 
front part of their right or left shoulder (according 
to the side on which they are poling), then falling 
down on their hands and toes, creep the whole length 
of the gang boards, and send the boat forward with 
considerable speed. 

This from the diary of Christian Schultz, who 
graphically and accurately describes a river 
voyage of 1807. One of these boats was named 
The Mohawk Regulator; one, The Butterfly, ac- 
cording to Schultz, who further says, " Nothing can 
be more charming than sailing on the Mohawk." 

The Durham was a broad boat with a flat 
bottom and straight sides, and so shaped as to be 
easily guided and propelled. 

Notwithstanding these helps, progress over 
rapids was difficult and, after long delay, crews 
were sometimes forced to drop down to their old 
position and do their work over again. 

By 1796, some of these boats had been pro- 
vided with cabins for occasional passengers and 
an enormous quantity of furs was now conveyed 
by the same craft to Albany. About 18 12, three 
hundred boats or thereabouts passed yearly to 
Rome. 

One of the best known of the several ferries 
across the Mohawk was Walrath's Ferry at Fort 
Plain, licensed as follows: 

We the Supervisors of Tryon County do hereby 
certify that the Place of John Walrad is very con- 
venient to be an established Ferry and at this time 



River and Canal 309 

highly necessary to preserve a Communication be- 
tween Forts Plank and Paris, and do hereby recom- 
mend the said John Walrad to his Excellency Governor 
Clinton for a License for a Ferry across the Mohawk 
River. Given under our Hands the 6th day of April 
1780. 

Jelles Fonda, Christ P. Yates, John Pickerd, 
AuGUSTiNus Hess, Henrick Staring. 

In 1797 three ferries crossed the Mohawk at 
Schenectady, — the upper, from the foot of Wash- 
ington street; the middle one, one mile below* 
and a lower ferry, — these kept respectively by Jan 
Baptist Van Epps, Volkert Veeder, and John 
Baptist Van Vorst. To the money received from 
the upper ferry claim was laid by Van Epps from 
his ownership of land adjacent to Washington 
Street ; John Sanders, who owned that at the op- 
posite landing, and by Joseph C. Yates, whose land 
lay below Van Epps on the same side of the river. 
Mr. Sanders finally arranged to take toll from 
boats leaving his landing for Schenectady and 
Messrs. Van Epps and Yates divided the returns 
accruing from boats leaving Schenectady. 

Twelve miles west of Schenectady was estab- 
lished the present Hoffman's ferry so called since 
1835, after John Hoffman, who then became its 
owner. Previous to that time it had been known 
as "Vedder's." 

Line boats began to run about 1815, and we 
have the pleasure of perusing the advertisement 
of a prospective runner of the line. 



310 The Historic Mohawk 

Mohawk and Cayuga 

packet boats aug. 1814 

The Subscribers in order more fully to accommodate 
the public have determined upon starting a boat from 
Schenectady for Cayuga and the Seneca Falls, 
regularly every Saturday evening during the season. 
This is intended merely as an addition to their estab- 
lishment and will in no wise interfere with their usual 
business, as boats and waggons will as heretofore 
be kept in constant readiness to transport from the 
city of Albany to any part of the Western Country^ 
either by land or water, whatever property may be 
directed to their care. Gentlemen who reside at a 
distance from the water communications are informed 
that their goods will be delivered from the boats at 
any point they may think proper to designate. 

Eri Lusher & Co., 

Schenectady, 
Aug. I, 1814. 

Another advertisement dated Schenectady, May 
I, 1815, reads: 

New Line 

the old line continued. 

From Schenectady for Oswego, Cayuga and Senaca 
Falls. One boat will start regularly every Saturday 
during the season. Goods received between Saturday 
and Tuesday evening to be forwarded beyond Utica, 



River and Canal 311 

will be put on board the Stage Boat of Wednesday 
morning, and will overtake the Satiirday's boat at 
Utica, where they will be put on board and forwarded 
as directed. 

Wagons will as heretofore be kept in constant 
readiness to transport from the city of Albany to 
Schenectady or any part of the United States and 
Canada. 

Gentlemen who reside at a distance from the water 
communication are informed that their goods will 
be delivered from the boats at any place they may 
think proper to designate; and at the Seneca Falls, 
to avoid delays, wagons are provided to convey 
the property, if required, to its place of destination. 

The subscribers consider themselves the actual 
carriers, and responsible for all property passing 
through their hands, unavoidable accidents excepted. 

Eri Lusher & Co., 
Schenectady, May i, 1815. 

These boats were in shape somewhat like the 
old-fashioned Durham, but provided with a 
cabin in the middle, with curtains and cushioned 
berths. The very earliest boats ran in the day- 
time only. This plan, however, existed but for a 
short time. Two miles per hour was the average 
rate of speed and there were accommodations for 
about thirty happy passengers whose berths by 
night served for seats by day. Two horses drew 
the precious freight and were relieved every twelve 
hours. 

At night a sheet, a hens '-feather stuffed pillow, 
a spread, and a more or less agreeable room-mate 



312 The Historic Mohawk 

above or below were concomitants of travel. In 
addition to these accommodations, somewhat 
"tough" fare was provided, all at the rate of two 
and one-half cents per mile. Possibly the pas- 
sengers preferred to "eat themselves," in which 
case they sailed comfortably at the rate of one cent 
per mile and eked out their supplies of crackers 
and cheese by purchasing sundries at the wayside 
groceries, at which the captain now and then 
obligingly stopped. 

The line boats, soon accommodating fifty 
passengers, drawn by three horses, and carrying 
seventy-five tons freight were well adapted to the 
wants of emigrating families who took their 
furnittu'e with them. 

The Mohawk River, as a water thoroughfare, 
was destined soon to give place to a rival. 

Said Elkanah Watson as early as 1791: 

I am induced to believe, should the western canals 
ever be made, and the Mohawk valley in one sense 
become a continuation of the Hudson river by means 
of canals and locks, that it will most clearly obviate 
the necessity of sending produce to market in winter 
by sleighs. On the contrary, it would be stored upon 
the margin of the Mohawk in winter and be sent in the 
summer months in bateaux to be unloaded aboard 
vessels in the Hudson. 

Elkanah Watson was early interested in the 
thought of establishing a canal route through the 



River and Canal 313 

valley, as were also several other prominent men 
of the time. It is probable that "Clinton's 
Ditch," the "raging Canawl," assumed definite 
existence for the first time in the brain of Gouver- 
neur Morris in 1803. It was finally pronounced 
practicable by James Geddes, who had been 
asked to look into the matter, and later, in 18 10, 
by a Board of Commerce, which had been ap- 
pointed to survey and investigate. Five millions 
was the estimated expense. The war with Great 
Britain caused temporary delay, but the subject 
was again taken up in 18 15. 

It was on the Fourth of July, 181 7, that ground 
was broken at Rome. On October 22, 18 19, 
the first boat passed thence to Utica. In 1821 
the line was complete as far as Little Falls. The 
canal of those days was forty feet wide at top, 
twenty-eight feet at bottom, and four feet deep. 

October 26, 1825, there started from Buffalo, 
in the morning, a gay procession, headed by the 
canal-boat, Seneca Chief, bearing men closely 
connected with the interests of the canal. The 
Young Lion of the West carrying distinguished 
men and diversified products, followed. Along 
the shore, illuminations and cannon marked the 
progress of the fleet. 

When the procession reached Albany, ten 
yawls were deputed to tow in the boats. A 
procession of twenty-four cartmen was on hand 
to greet them, each cart properly labelled as to its 
distinctive features. 



314 The Historic Mohawk 

The eminent citizens whom the Young Lion 
of the West had borne from Buffalo were enter- 
tained upon the bridge at tables arranged amid 
shrubbery. Among the toasts were: 

Canals! — The surest guarantee against the calami- 
ties of war ; they constitute the strong ligaments that 
bind us together in energy and strength. 

The cartmen of Albany, — may they never back 
out when they can drive in ! 

Said Mr. Bayard of Albany: 

Hereafter our wheat will compete in European 
markets with that of Poland and Odessa and a com- 
merce be there established, important to the merchant 
and beneficial to the agriculturist. 

At the conclusion of the exercises Mr. Barret 
recited, at the theater, Mr. James Ferguson's 
poem — 

Hark to that shout; so wild, so high, 

It pains the ear ; it rends the sky ! 
It bursts where giant Erie's breath 
The storm distills ! 
And o'er Yagara's misty crest 
Its echo thrills. 

Cayuga and his brother lake 
Their many thousand voices wake; 



River and Canal 315 

And wizard Mohawk answers where he bounds 
Forth from his hills; 
Or turns his mystic rounds, 
Gathering his rills. 

In triumphal glory, colors flying, small boating 
fry following, cannon booming, bonfires blazing 
along the shore, the Seneca Chief glided on, adown 
the Hudson, through the Narrows, to Sandy Hook. 
There the keg loaded at Buffalo was produced, 
Governor Clinton knocked in its head, and the 
waters of the Erie mingled with the Atlantic waves. 

October 29, 1825, Benjamin Wright reached 
Buffalo from Albany, the first packet to make the 
trip. By 1826 the Erie canal was a thoroughfare, 
and though many people of the day believed it 
would prove the "ruin of Albany," it was never- 
theless destined to be a "crown of glory" to the 
State. 

Large, comfortable boats were the packets, 
propelled by three horses and accomplishing 
five miles an hour. The earliest boats travelled 
by daylight only, and lodgings were obtained at 
taverns along the shore. Each day stages made 
connection with the day lines just above the locks. 
The departure of the packet was announced by 
bugle and townsfolk gathered around to see the 
boats make off. 

A mighty person was the captain as he seated 
himself in the cabin, called for his writing-desk, 
ordered the bell rung to call up passengers to 
pay their fares, then, locking his desk with an 



3i6 The Historic Mohawk 

enormous key, stalked pompously up and down the 
deck. 

Yes, a jolly old soul he was, proud of the number 
and appearance of his passengers, and offering 
them advice in every particular, even as to the 
nature of their route, and alas! often betraying 
their confidence for filthy lucre! When the canal 
had finally pushed its way to Buffalo and made 
clean-cut connection from end to end of the State, 
designing nmners from the leading steamboats 
that plied the Great Lakes were wont to meet the 
captain at Black Rock or some point shortly below 
the end of his route and offer him commissions 
on the passengers whom he might secure for them. 
Then, forsooth, the boat was run ashore at some 
convenient point and, willy-nilly, the confiding 
passengers were delivered to the care of the 
steamboat selected for them by the commander 
in whom they had confided ! 

As the Captains of the Western Boats refuse to 
permit any person except Jason Parker or persons 
employed by him to go on board the Boats to offer 
conveyance to passengers to the East — the Propriet- 
ors of the Accommodation Line of the Canal Packets 
take this method to inform the public that the Packet 
Fair play leaves Utica on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday 
on the arrival of the Western Boats and arrives at 
Palatine Bridge (42 miles) the same day. Passengers 
will sleep at Reed's (formerly Bush's) and proceed by 
Stage next day to Albany to dine. 

The Packet Pilot leaves Utica every day at 3 p.m. 



River and Canal 317 

for Little Falls, and ' returning leaves Little Falls 
at six in the morning. 

Utica, June 5, 1823. 

From a waybill of the William C. Bouck, 
leaving Utica May i, 1823, we learn that Mr. 
Lyman paid $5.00 from Utica to Rochester and 
* * found himself." Mr. Cummins' bill for a party of 
five was $11.50 — fifty cents was deducted because 
one was a servant girl. 

It will be interesting to append a document 
relating to the supply of horses along the canal, 
although of later date. 

I agree with Victor A. Putman of Glen to furnish at 
his barn, in the town of Glen about the close of the 

Canal next fall ^horses, to be kept by him until led 

off by me next spring. Said horses are to be furnished 
with good and commodious stables and yard room, 
plenty of hay (of the growth of the present year) 
for food, and straw for bedding, together with a good 
supply of wholesome water conveniently situated. 
Upon faithful fulfilment of above stipulations and 
delivery of the horses, agree to pay as full compensa- 
tion for keeping Sixty-two and ^ cents per week^ 
each horse. Said Putman is also to board a man if 
required to take care of said horses, for one dollar 
and I" per week. Should any horse or horses die 
or be otherwise disposed of a deduction of the price of 
keeping to be made for such absence. 

Signed & Sealed at Glen, 
Sept. loth, 1855. 

E. S. Prosser, 
By J. T. Hannibal. 



3i8 The Historic Mohawk 

(Reverse side.) 

No hay to Be fed 

in the yard — & the 

hay that Putman Raised 

is to Be accepted on this 

Contract 

J. P. Hannibal. 

At night there were head-lights, two in number, 
with goose-quills reflecting further lustre upon the 
turbid stream. Pleasant must have been the 
travel on a summer night amid the scenery of 
the romantic Mohawk, dimly shadowed, dimly 
revealed. By day and night the boatmen loved 
to entertain their charges with points on the 
tides and the currents and distances between the 
locks, and with exhibitions of their skill. By day 
and night the scene was constantly changing and 
passengers now and again were cleared from the 
deck that the boat might pass under a bridge. 

At daytime, tourists would often vary the 
monotony by walking ahead. Comments on the 
beauty of the landscape were frequent. The 
scenery of the Little Falls of the period was 
particularly admired for its grandeur and com- 
pared by some to the Trossachs. Mrs. TroUope 
says of it, — "I never saw so sweetly wild a spot. " 

Some of the canal patrons, however, were not 
entirely impressed with the beauties of packet 
travel. Mrs. TroUope complains of 

the library of a dozen books, the backgammon board, 
the mean little berths and the shady side of the cabin, 



River and Canal 319 

all pre-empted, without regard to a woman's and 
especially an English woman's previous claim. 

Miss Martineau says : 

I would never advise ladies to travel by canal unless 
the boats are quite new and clean, or at least far better 
than anything that I saw or heard of. On fine 
days, it is pleasant enough sitting outside (except for 
having to duck under bridges every quarter of an 
hour) and in dark evenings, the approach of the boat 
lights on the water is a pretty sight ; but the horrors 
of nights and wet days more than compensate for all 
the advantages these vehicles can boast. 

It is pleasant to learn that at Utica these 
travellers found rest. Miss Martineau arrived 
"pretty well fagged by the sun by day and a 
crowded cabin by night" and here lemonade, 
feather-fans, and eau-de-cologne kept her from 
surrendering at discretion to a thermometer in 
which the mercury stood at ninety. 

Miss Martineau says, in speaking of Bagg's 
hotel, that they "knew how to value cold water, 
spacious rooms and retirement after the annoy- 
ances of the boats." 

Says Fanny Kemble, referring to a trip of 
July, 1833: 

We proceeded by canal to Utica, which distance we 
performed in a day and a night, starting at two from 
Schenectady and reaching Utica the next day about 



320 The Historic Mohawk 

noon. I like travelling by the canal boats very much. 
Ours was not crowded ; and the country through which 
we passed being delightful, the placid, moderate 
gliding through it at about four miles and a half an 
hour seemed to me infinitely preferable to the noise of 
wheels, the rumble of a coach and the jerking of the 
roads, for the gain of a mile an hour. The only 
nuisances are the bridges over the canal, which are so 
very low, that one is obliged to prostrate one's self 
on the deck of the boat to avoid being scraped off it, 
and this humiliation occurs, upon an average, once 
every quarter of an hour. 

The valley of the Mohawk, through which we crept 
the whole sunshiny day, is beautiful from beginning to 
end; fertile, soft, rich and occasionally approaching 
sublimity and grandeur in its rocks and hanging woods. 
We had a lovely day, and a soft blessed sunset, which, 
just as we came to a point where the canal crosses 
the river and where the curved and wooded shores 
on either side recede leaving a broad, smooth basin, 
threw one of the most exquisite effects of light and 
colour I ever remember to have seen over the water 
and through the sky. 

From rise of morn till set of sun 

I *ve seen the mighty Mohawk run 

And as I marked the woods of pine 

Along his mirror darkly shine 

Like tall and gloomy forms that pass 

Before the wizard's midnight glass. 

And as I viewed the hurrying pace 

With which he ran the turbid race 

Rushing, alike untired and wild. 

Through shades that frowned and flowers that smiled, 




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River and Canal 321 

Flying by every green recess, 

That wo'd him to its calm caress 

Yet sometimes turning with the wind, 

As if to leave one look behind ! 

Oh, I have thought, and thinking, sighed— 

How like to thee, thou restless tide, 

May be the lot, the life of him 

Who roams along thy waters' brim; 

Through what alternate shades of woe 

And flowers of joy my path may go; 

How many an humble, still retreat 

May rise to court my weary feet. 

While still pursuing, still unblest, 

I wander on, nor dare to rest! 

But, urgent as the doom that calls 

Thy water to its destined falls, — 

I see the world's bewildering force 

Hurry my heart's devoted course. 

From lapse to lapse, till life be done 

And the last current cease to run; 

Oh, may my falls be bright as thine ! 

May Heaven's forgiving rainbow shine 

Upon the mist that circles me 

As soft as now it hangs o'er thee! 

Moore. 



INDEX 



Abeel, John, 2i6, 217 

Abraham, Chief, 131, 133 

Abraham, Little, 150, 164 

Ackland, Lady Harriet, 145 

Adams Island, 52 

Adirondacks, 39, 40, 84 

Agniers, 10 

Aiadane, 35 

Aireskoi, 32 

Akin, 77 

Albany, Indian Trade at, 72, 

73 
Aldridge, 212 
Aldridge, N., 247 
Algonquins, 27 
Allen, Capt. Benj., 271 
Allen, Ethan, 158 
Alsober, 249 
Amsterdam, 66, 76, 77, 103, 

130, 295, 296 
Ancrom, Major, 185, 188 
Andrews, Rev. William, 113, 

114, 115, 116 
Andros, Governor, 39, 113 
Andrustown, 199 
Anthony's Nose, 121, 214 
Arentse, Bennony, 38 
Arnold, Benedict, 191, 195 
Ashley, Capt. Stephen, 271, 

284, 285 
Atlantis, 2 
Atotarho, 7 
Auburn, 293, 297 
Auriesville, 13 

B 

Baggs' Hotel, 280 



Bancroft, George, 3 

Barber, 249 

Barclay, Rev. Henry, 118 

Barclay, John, 205 

Barclay, Rev. Thomas, 113, 

115 
Barre, Col., 155 
Barret, 314 
Batavii, 27 
Bayard, 314 
Beach, Ashbel, 267 
Beal, Moses, 276, 279 
Bear Clan, 13, 20, 33, 34, 35, 

117 
Bell, Hendrick, no 
Bell, Capt., 177 
Bell, Col., 184 
Belletre, M. de, 92 
Bellinger, Col., 184, 200, 228, 

241 
Bennington, Battle of, 179 
Beverwyck, 31, 52 
Billy, 144 
Black Bear, 283 
Black Horse Inn, 283, 285 
Black Rock, 316 
Blanchard, Andrew, 258 
Block, Elijah, 267 
Blodget, Elijah, 267 
Boardman & Dewey, 265 
Boniface, Father, 14 
Boon, Gerrit, 263 
Boston, 155, 156, 158, 159, 

160, 202, 203, 204, 207 
Bradley, Capt., 233 
Bradley, Rev. Daniel, 269 
Bradt, Arent, 49 
Bradt House, 50 
Brainard, Daniel A., 268 
Brandywine Rift, 306 
Brant, Joseph, 133, 148, 152, 



323 



324 



Index 



Brant Joseph — Continued 

i68, 172, 187, 189, 199, 200, 

227, 245, 291 
Brant, Molly, 77, 145, 146 
Brant, Niclaus, 133 
Breese, A., 287 
Brewerton, Fort, 69, 70 
Brodhead, John Romeyn, 93 
Brodock, 80, 253 
Broebeuf, Father, 14 
Brouwer, Rev. Thomas, 48 
Brown, John, 103 
Brown, Col. John, 221 
Browning, Elizabeth, 219 
Brujn, Jan Hendricksen, 43, 
Bruyas, Father, 14 
Buck Island, 168, 169 
Buffalo, 10, 288 
Bull, Fort, 91 
Bull, Lieut., 91 
Bunker Hill, 158 
Burgoyne, Gen., 169, 177, 179, 

197 
Burnet, Governor, 64 
Burnetsfield, 65, 69, 108, 109, 

201, 227 
Butler, Col. John, 164. 169 

184, 185, 186, 194, 195, 204 
Butler, Walter, 144 
Butler, Walter N., 145, 193, 

206, 226, 227 
Butler, Mrs., 207 



Cady, Daniel, 124 
Campbell, John, 206 
Canada, Settlement of, 26 
Canada Creek, 64, 99 
Ca-nagh-ta-ragh-ga-ragh, 12 
Canajoharie Castle, 13, 106, 

149, 150 
Canajoharie Creek, 150 
Canajoharie, Fort, 93 
Canajoharie Village, 69 
Canastyione, 51 
Caniachkor, 51 
Caniengas, 10 
Ca-no-na-lo-a, 12 
Cantuguo, 35 
Carolinas, 10, 58 



Caroline Hendrick, 77, 131, 

133, 146, 150 
Caroline Johnson, 151 
Caughnawaga, 34, 41, 80, loi, 

104 
Cayudetta Creek, 147 
Champlain, 27 
Charles, Elector, 57 
Cherry Valley, 207, 227 
Chuctenunda Creek, 77 
Clarke, Gov., 62, 137 
Claus, Colonel, 150, 168, 193, 

194 
Clement, Lambert, 215 
Clements, Mary, 219 
Clench, 150 

Clinton, Sir Henry, 169 
Clinton, Gov., 85, 87, 89, 109, 

206, 215 
Clinton, N. Y., 260, 261 
Clock, Jacob J., 126 
Clute, Walran, 51 
Clyde, Col. Samuel, 213, 223 
Clyde, Fort, 198 
Cobb, Rev. Sanford H., 67 
Cohoes, 53, 68, 115 
Cohoes Falls, 54 
Colbraith, Major William, 266 
Colden, Cadwallader, 133 
Combs, Uriel, 241 
Conine's Tavern, 294 
Conkling, Hon. Alfred, 294,295 
Co-nis-ti-gio-no, 51 
Corlaer, 37 
Corlaer, Lake of, 10 
Cornplanter, 245 
Cortelyou, S' Jacques, 36 
Cortiasen, Hendrick, 29 
Couture, Guillaume, 32 
Cox, Col., 162, 183, 184 
Crage, 36 
Cranesville, 288 
Crane's Village, 69 
Craven, Fort, 91 
Cronhard, George, 81 
Crow Lake, 8 
Crown Point, 87 

D 

Dachstader, George, 81 



Index 



325 



Dachstader, John, 233 
Damoth, Mark, 188, 253 
Daniel, Father, 14 
Danube, 13, 106 
Davis, Peter, 234 
Dayton, Col. Elias, 165 
Dayton, Fort, 171, 172, 173, 

190, 191, 218, 219 
Deane, James, 258, 259 
De Courcelles, Gov., 40 
Deerfield, 253 
De Fonclaiere, Jean Baptiste, 

285 
De Graaf, Cornelis, 250 
De Lery, M., 91 
Dellius, Rev. Godfriedus, 47, 

112 
Demood, John, 234 
De-o-waim-sta, 68 
Devendorf, Rudolph, 286 
Diefendorf, David, 286 
Diefendorf, Capt. Henry, 240 
Diefendorf, Capt. Jacob, 248 
Diefendorf, Jacob, 224 
Diefendorf, Jacob, Jr., 240 
Diefendorf, John Jacob, 240 
Dieskau, Baron de, 90 
Dohorywachqua, 36 
Dongan, Gov., 15 
Dorlach, 213, 240 
Dornberger, Catherine, 222 
Dorsheimer, Lt. Gov., 179 
Drumm House, 138 
Dubois, Col., 222 
Dubois, Gideon, 280 
Dunckel, George, 240 
Dwight, Rev. Timothy, 286 
Dygert, Peter S., 190 



E 



Ea-gwe-howe, 4 
Earl, Hon. Robert, 129, 178 
East Schuyler, 81 
Edmesson, Major, 200 
Edward, Fort, 169 
Edwards, Rev. Jonathan, 268 
Ehle, Fort, 198 
Ehle, Rev. Jacob, 138 
Ehle's Rift, 306 
Elkins, Jacob, 26 



Elwood, Isaac, 239 

Ephratah, 199 

Erichson, Rev. Reinhardus, 49 

Erie Canal, 102 

Erie, Lake, 4, 5 

Esopus, 189 



Failing, Fort, 198 

Failing's Tavern, 295 

Fairfield, 199 

Ferguson, James, 199 

Fink, Major Andrew, 234 

Fink's Ferry, 288 

Fink's Tavern, 285 

Fish, Hamilton, 178 

Fish House, 147 

Fonda, N. Y., 13, 14 

Fonda, Jelles, 79, 80, 238, 309 

Fonda, John, 215 

Fonda's Bush, 285 

Fort Hunter, 13, 69, 140, 221 

Fort Plain, N. Y., 13, 106, 234 

Fox, Fort, 198 

France, Bastian, 235 

Frank, John, 249 

Frankfort, 65 

Freeman, Rev. Bernardus, 48, 

112 
Fremin, Father, 14 
Frey, Hendrick Henry, 138 
Frey, Major, 184, 216 
Frey, S. L., 13, 198 
Fultonville, 13 



Ga-ha-oose, 54, 68 
Ga-na-wa-da, 68 
Ga-ne-a-ga-o-no, 9 
Ganondagaron, 65 
Gansevoort, Col., 171, 188, 196 
Gansevoort, Conrad, 81, 105 
Gamier, 14 
Garoga Creek, 288 
Garreau, 14 
Gates, Judge, 286 
George, Lake, 90 
German Flats, 92, 108, 109, 122, 
173, 188, 195, 198, 199, 201 



326 



Index 



Glen, Alexander Lindsay, 41, 

42, 47 
Glen, Col. Jacob, 88 
Glen-Sanders House, 50 
Goodman, Simeon, 278, 279 
Gordon, Lord Adam, 145 
Goupil, Rene, 32 
Grant, Mrs. Anne McVickar, 

135. 140 

Grant, Mrs. Julia, 135 

Graves, Capt., 184 

Greenhalgh, 12 

Grider, Rufus, 117 

Grinnis, 204 

Groot, Petrus, 242 

Gros, Rev. Johann Daniel, 247 

Gros, Capt. Lawrence, 224, 

236 
Guy Park, 150 
Gyssenberg, 137 

H 

Half-Moon Patent, 52 
Hamilton, Col., 119, 120 
Hamilton, Will. Osb., 193 
Hannibal, J., 317 
Hansen, 212 
Hansen, Peter, 236 
Harper, Col., 220, 221, 222 
Harpersfield, 251 
Hartman, Adam, 234 
Hasenclever, 81 
Hawley, Rev. William, 134 
Helmer, John Adam, 188, 200, 

201 
Hendrick, Fort, 140 
Hendrick, King, 77, 86, 131, 

133- 150 

Henry, Patrick, 157 

Herkimer, Henry, 244 

Herkimer, John Jost, 171, 244 

Herkimer, Nicholas, 78, 92, 93, 
no, 160, 163, 167, 170, 173, 
174, 176, 181, 182, 183, 189 

Herkimer, N. Y., 92, 197, 201, 

Herter Henry, 237 

Hess, Augustinus, no, 231, 309 

Heughan, John Hugh, 82 

Hiawatha, 8, 11 

Hicks, Capt., 217 



Hinaquariones, 36 
Hoffman, John, 307 
Hoffman's Ferry, 127 
Holder of the Heavens, 5, 6, 7 
Holly, Myron, 297 
House, Christian, 137 
Hudson, Hendrik, 29 
Hudson River, 5, 11, 16,31,54, 

60 
Hunter, Fort, 64, 93, 94, loi, 

113, 197, 226 
Hunter, Gov., 59, 60, 61, 63 
Huron, 27, 32 



Ilchester, Earl of, 145 
Indian Castle, 13, 34 
Irine, Elizabeth, 219 
Iroquois, i, 4, 6, 9, 10, 15, 26, 

40, 85, 90 
Ittig, Jacob, 233 



James, Fort, 38 
Jogues, Father Isaac, 32, 33 
Johnson, Bryan, 265 
Johnson, Charlotte, 150 
Johnson, Fort, 77, 85, 87, 131, 

150, 151. 153 
Johnson Hall, 106, 142, 147, 

150, 153. 212 
Johnson, Sir Guy, 161, 162 
Johnson, Sir John, 131, 145, 

151, 153, 161, 163, 164, 165, 
193, 194, 195, 212, 214, 215, 
221, 225 

Johnson, Mary, 131, 132 
Johnson, Mount, 77, 85, 87, 

131 
Johnson, Nancy, 131, 132 
Johnson, Sir William, 76, 77, 
78, 79, 84, 85, 87, 89, 90, 92, 
95, 99, 100, 102, 105, 106, 
107, III, 121, 130, 134, 136, 
139, 142, 143, 144, 146, 148, 
150, 151, 152, 153, 166 
Johnson, William, 77, 131, 150 
Johnstown, N. Y., 142, 148, 
161, 208, 212, 225, 227,228, 
Jonathan, Philip, 149 



Index 



2i21 



K 

Kalm, Peter, 56, 75. ^33 
Kane Brothers, 246, 247, 295 
Kast, John, 76 
Kateri Tekakwitha, 15 
Kaw-nah-taw-te-ruh, 12 
Kay-ing-wam-to, 168 
Keator's Rift, 306 
Keller, Margaret, 219 
Kelly, 104 
Kemble, Fanny, 319 
Keyser, Capt., 209 
Kingsborough Patent, 99, 262 
Kingsland, 122, 165 
Kip, J., 264 
Kip, J. S., 287 
Kirkland, Rev. Samuel, 106, 

119, 120, 128, 167, 292 
Kleyn, Isaac, 37 
Kline, 253 

Klock, Col., 200, 214, 241 
Klock, Fort 198 
Klock, George, 137 
Kneiskern's Rift, 306 
Konoshioni, 10 
Kouari, Fort, 91 
Kryn, 15 



Lafayette, Marquis de, 254, 255 
Lalande, 33 
Lalemant, 14 
Lamberville, de, 15 
Lansing, Abraham J., 270 
LansinglDurgh, 270, 271, 273 

277, 278 
La Prairie, 15 
Lemoyne, Father, 14 
Lewis, 278 

L'Hommedieu, Ezra, 254 
Liberwood, George, 136 
Lily of the Mohawks, 15 
Little, Capt. John, 225 
Little Falls, 13, 65, 68, 71, no, 

122, 231, 274, 294, 306, 313 
Livingston, Robert, 62 
Livingston Manor, 60, 61, 62 
Lossing, Benjamin J., 179 
Loucks, Adam, 159 



Louis XVI, 57 
Lusher, Eri, 310, 311 
Lydius, Rev. Mr., 112 
Lyman, Gen., 90 
Lyman, 317 

M 

Mabee, Joseph, 236 ^ 
Mabie, Abraham, 88 
Mabie, John, 50 
Mabie House, 50 
Macaulay, T. B., 66 " 
McDonald, Lieut., 21??* 
McDougal, Duncan, 82 
Mclntyre, Donald, 305 ' 
Mclntyre, James, 305 
McKean, Capt., 223 
McLeod, Lady, 148 
McMaster, James, 162 
Malhahendach, 52 
Mangelse, Jan, 51, 52 
Manheim, 66 
Manitta, 6 

Mappa, Col. Adam G., 263 
Martin, Capt., 205 
Martineau, Harriet, 297, 319 
Maude, 246 
Megapolensis, Dominie, 54, 72, 

112 
Melish, John, 299 
Mey, Jacobsen, 29, 30 
Miln, Rev. John, 117 
Minden, 81 

Mohawk Castles, 12, 13 
Mohawk Valley, The, i, 4, 10, 

13- 31. 50, 64, 68, 76, 84, 

100, 102, 107, 123, 130, 166, 

169, 171, 182,320 
Mohawks, The, 11 
Morgan's Tavern, 301 
Morris, Gouverneur, 175 
Morris, Lewis R., 221 
Mosely, Rev. Richard, 107 
Moulder, Peter, 81 
Munro, Rev. Henry, 118 
Munster, 58 

N 

Nassau, Fort, 26, 29 



328 



Index 



Neilson, Thomas, 46, 47 
Neuse River, 6 
New City, 271, 284 
New Petersburg, 88, 90, 219 
Newkirk, 206 
Newport, Fort, 91 
Nicholson, Col., 59, 114 
Niskayuna, 43, 51, 52, 53 
Norman's Kil, 29, 31, 34 
Nott, Dr., 293 
Nulter, John, 83 
Nundadasis, 68 
Nutten Island, 59, 60 



O 



O'Brian, Lady Susan, 143 
Oel, Rev. John Jacob, 118 
Ogilvie, Rev. John, 118 
Ohene, Susannah, 219 
Olehish, 66 
Oneida Castle, 12 
Oneida, Lake, 11, 75 
Oneida Stone, The, 12 
Oneidas, The, 11, 12 
Onondaga, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 
Onondagas, 6, 7 
Ontario, Lake, 205 
Oothout Brothers, 81 
Orange, Fort, 29, 31 
Oriskany, 169, 175, 176, 177, 

178, 179, 180, 181, 198, 203, 

241, 244 
Ostrom, Joshua, 280 
Oswego, 76, 80, 84, 89, 96 
Oswego Falls, 5 



Palatinate, 57 
Palatine Bridge, 57, 66 
Palatine Church, 65, 66, 137 
Palatines, The, 57 
Parfraets' Dael, 53 
Paris, Fort, 82, 198, 221, 224 
Paris, Isaac, 82, 184, 204 
Paris, Isaac, 2d, 245, 261 
Paris, Town of, 261, 262 
Parker, Jason, 277, 278, 279, 

280, 281,316 
Parsons, 281 



Peake, Reuben, 286 
Pearson, Jonathan, 37 
Petrie, Dr. Jacob, 82 
Petrie, Johan Jost, 83, 84, III, 

112 
Petrie, Marcus, 112 
Petrie, Dr. William, 233 
Phelps, Jedediah, 258 
Pierron, Father, 14 
Pitcaim, Major, 157 
Pitt, Lord, 213 
Plain, Fort, 197, 198 
Plank, Fort, 198, 309 
Piatt, 212 

Piatt, Ananias, 277, 278 
Piatt, C, 287 
Piatt, Zephaniah, 254 
Poesten Kil, 52 
Pool, Simeon, 276, 277 
Post, John, 265, 266 
Post, Mrs., 291 
Powell, Thomas, 280, 281 
Profoost, Johannes, 43 
Prosser, E. S., 317 
Putman, Victor A., 317 
Putnam, Miss Claire, 151 
Putnam, Gen., 158 

Q 

Quackenbos, Abraham, 236 

Quebec, 40, 242 

Queen Anne, 59, 63, loi, 102 

R 

Randall, Henry, 151 
Ranney, Seth, 262 
Reggins, 253 
Rensellaer, Kil'n, 62 
Rensselaer, Fort, 198 
Rensselaerwyck, 33, 53 
Reynolds, Alarcus T., 296 
Rhode, 51 
Rogers, James, 280 
Rome, N. Y., 10, 27, 91 
Roof, Elisha Kane, 253, 286 
Roof, Johannes, 253, 286 
Roofstown, 285 
Rosencrantz, Rev, Abraham, 
92, III, 148 



Index 



329 



Rotterdam, 50, 66 
Round Top, 246 
Rowley, Major, 226, 227 
Ryckert, 87 
Ryndertsen, Barent, 51 



Sacandaga, 211 

Sacandaga Creek, 147, 254 

Sagoddioquisax, 51 

St. Lawrence River, 5, 10, 11, 

15 
St. Leger, Col., 169, 179, 184, 

185, 186, 188, 195 
St. Peter, Lake, 32 
Sammons Bros., 212 
Sammons, Jacob, 161 
Sammons, Major, 223 
Sanders, Col., 51 
Sanders, John, 242 
Sand Hill, 81, 105, 106, 247 
Sanger, Col., 268 
Sangerfield, 266, 267, 268 
Saratoga, 84, 177, 179 
Schaets, Rev. Gideon, 47 
Schell, Christian, 218, 234 
Schell, Frederick, 234 
Schellsbush, 218 
Schenectady, burning of, 34 
Schenectady, settlement of, 39 
Schermerhorn, C, 47 
Schermerhorn, Jno. J., 46 
Schoharie, 13, 59, 61, 63, 64, 

65, 94, 102, 134, 197, 221 
Schuyler, Fort, 96, iii, 188, 

199 
Schuyler, Gen. Philip, 145, 146, 

164, 165 
Schuyler, Gov., 35 
Schuyler, Han Jost, 196 
Schuyler, Nicholas, 46 
Schuyler, Nicholas, 196 
Schuyler, Peter, 59 
Schuyler, Philip Pieterse, 52 
Scotia, 41, 42, 50 
Scott, Capt. John, 102 
Seeber, Col. William, 81, 184 
Senecas, 6, 9, 86 
Seymour, Hon. Horatio, 107, 

122 



Shefin, Catherine, 219 
Shepherd's, 280 
Shew, Godfrey, 205, 206 
Shoemaker, Nathaniel, 234 
Shoemaker, Rudolf, no 
Shoemaker, Thomas, 220 
Singleton, Lieut., 204 
Skenandoa, Chief, 119, 120, 

121, 293 
Smith, Dr. Adam, 302 
Smith, Jost, 233 
Smith, Melancthon, 254 
Smith, Peter, 264 
Smith, Richard L., 297 
Snackin, Magdalena, 219 
Snyder's Bush, 199 
Sonareetsie, 35 
Spafford, Horatio Gates, 55 
Spencer, Thomas, 169 
Spraker's Basin, 13 
Spraker's Tavern, 294 
Stanwix, Brigadier-Gen. John, 

95 
Stanwix, Fort, 96, 168, 169, 

172, 177, 178, 179, 184, 193 
Staring, Henrick, 309 
Staring, Valentine, 231 
Steele, Rev. Eliphalet, 269 
Steele, Rudolph, 249 
Steen, Conrad, 237 
Steers, 253 

Steuben, Baron de, 245 
Steuben, N. Y., 263 
Stevens, Arent, 99, 148 
Stinewax, Gertrude, 219 
Stockwell, Major, 190 
Stone, William Leete, 187 
Stone Arabia, 65, 82, 104, 121, 

220,223,247 
Stone Arabia, Little, 212, 253 
Stuart, Rev. John, 118 
Susquehanna River, 10, 11, 

223 
Swartout, Capt. Abraham, 232 
Switzer Hill, 138, 144 



Tah-ragh- jo-res, 245 
Ta-la-que-ga, 68 
Talbot, Rev. Mr., 112 



330 



Index 



Tarenya wagon, 8 
Tassomacher, Rev. Petrus, 41, 

46,47 
Tawasentha, 11, 31, 35 
Tawasgunshee, 29 
Taylor, Benj. F., 252 
Ten Eyck, Johannes, 62 
Tenis, Mary, 219 
Teonto, 8 
Te-uge-ga, 68 
Thompson, Captain, 234 
Throop, Josiah, 243 
Thurber, Benj., 271 
Tice, Gilbert, 149 
Ticonderoga, 158 
Timmerman, Fort, 198 
Tinonderoga, 13, 94 
Tionnontogen, 14 
Todoairse, 51 
Townsend, Charles, 155 
Tracy, William G., 265 
Tribes Hill, 212, 213, 214, 225 
Trollope, Mrs., 318 
Trowbridge, 278 
Tryon Co., first blood shed 

in, 162 
Tryon Co., in the Revolution, 

158 

Tryon Co., changed to Mont- 
gomery, 235 

Turtle Clan, 13, 20, 33. 35. 1 1 7 

Tuscaroras, 6, 243 

U 

Unadilla, 168, 201 
Utica, 68, 197, 263, 264, 265, 
266 



Van Allen, Capt., 222 
Van Alstyne, Gosen, 150 
Van Alstyne House, 198, 246 
Van Budhoven, Claesen, 51 
Van Curler, Arendt, 33, 34 
Vander Heyden brothers, 270 
Vander Heyden, Derich, 53 
Vander Heyden, Jacob D., 272 
Vander Heyden, Jacob I., 271 
Vander Heyden, Mattys, 270, 
284 



Vander Kamp, Dr., 263 
Vander Volgen, Nicholas, 250 
Van Driessen, Rev. Petrus, 

116, 117 
Van D. Workin, Gossan, 235 
Van Epps, Abraham, 244, 245 
Van Epps, Jan Baptist, 309 
Van Guysling House, 50 
Van Home, James, 82, 245 
Van Nourstrandt, Jacobse, 52 
Van Olinde, Illetje Van Slyck, 

51. 53 
Van Rensselaer, the Patroon, 

30, 31. 33, 53, 70 
Van Rensselaer, Gen. Robert, 

219, 220, 221, 222, 223 
Van Schaick, Goosen Gerritsen, 

52 
Van Schaick, Col., 198 
Van Vaughter, Henry, 232 
Van Velsen, Sweer Teunise, 53 
Van Vorst, 87, 88 
Van Vorst, Jan Baptist, 309 
Vedder, Harman, 51 
Veder, Lieut-Col., 228 
Veder, Symon, 49 
Veeder, Margarita, 88 
Vernon, 293 
Viel6, 38 

Villars, Marshal, 58 
Virginia, 58, 203, 204 
Visscher brothers, 212, 213, 215 
Visscher, Col., 228 
Vols, Conrad, 233 
Vols, Jost, 233 
Vols, Peter, no 
Vrooman, Dominie, 149 

W 

Wagner, 286 
Wagner, A. J., 137 
Wagner, Fort, 198 
Wagner, Johan Peter, 137 
Wagner's Hollow, 208 
Walker, B., 287 
Walrath, Henry, 239, 240 
Walrath, John, 308 
Ward, General, 158 
Warren, Sir Peter, 77, 85, 117 
Warren, Gen., 158 



Index 



331 



Warrensborough, 239 
Warrensbush, 225, 226 
Washington, Gen., 105, 179, 

234 

Waterford, 52, 53 

Watts, Major, 189, 278 

Watts, Polly, 151 

Weaver, George R., 253 

Webb, Gen., 91 

Weed, Thurlow, 291, 292, 294 

Weisenberg, Catharine, 77, 130 

Wemp, 53 

Wemple, Abraham, 218 

Wemple, John B., 237 

Wendell, Harman, 70 

Wendell, Capt. Jacob, 134 

Wendol, Anna, 47 

West Canada Creek, 197, 226 

Westmoreland, 20, 293 

Wheelock, Dr., 143 

White, Hugh, 254, 255, 256, 
257. 259. 266, 267 

Widerstyn, Henry, 233 

Willett, Col. Marinus, 172, 176, 
183, 184, 187, 190, 224, 226, 
227, 228, 229, 235, 236, 245 



Williams, Fort, 91 

Williams, N., 87 

Wilson, James, 84 

Windecker, Fort, 198 

Woestine, 43, 76 

Wolf Clan, 13, 20, 33, 35, 

117 
Wolff, John, 81 
Woodbridge, Dr., 134 
Wood worth, Solomon, 211, 

257 . 
Woolaber, Si'^Taham, 234 
Woolaber, Nicholas, 108 
Wyoming Valley, 166, 208 



Yates, Hon. Abraham, 21 
Yates, Christopher P., 211, 

309 
Yates, Joseph C, 309 
Yorktown, 179 
Young's Settlement, 200 
Younglove, Moses, 203, 205, 

232, 233 






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